It was only 8 a.m. and the 500 tamales that Christopher Luna Garcia had hoped to sell were down to just a few dozen.
About 17 hungry people lined up at the food cart near Villa Parke in Pasadena, where an immigration sweep had taken place nearly two weeks ago on June 21.
Steam flowed from the cart and the scent of masa drifted through the air as Chris, 14, reached down to pull out tamales.
“It’s a lot,” he said of the community response. “But I’m grateful for it.”
Chris said he took over his mom’s street vending business after the immigration raid.
His mother, Carmen Garcia, 44, who is a legal resident, said three of her customers were detained during the sweep at the park. But immigration agents did not take her into custody.
“I was so afraid after that,” she said. “I have documents, but I’m still scared, very scared.”
It wasn’t long ago that Chris, a tall teenager, struggled to make sales, sometimes bringing in less than $100 daily — and on a really bad day just $20. But on Friday, the tamales were selling fast. So much so that his aunt joined to help meet the high demand with a second cart.
1. Christopher Luna Garcia, 14, sells tamales to a customer from his mother’s cart near Villa Parke in Pasadena. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times) 2. The side of the cart proudly states its contents. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Friday’s event was organized by Alex “Tio Joker” Murillo, an actor and community activist who stumbled upon Chris one afternoon and shared a video of him on social media.
“I want to help out the Latino youth,” Murillo said. “This ICE stuff is bad, but we’ve also turned it into something good.”
He took the video amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown, targeting criminal and immigrant workers suspected of living in the country illegally at Home Depots, car washes and sidewalks.
The wave of immigration sweeps over the past month has prompted some American-born children to take over street vending businesses on behalf of their parents.
The operation at Villa Parke prompted Pasadena city officials to cancel swimming lessons and other recreation programs at the park and two others.
Christopher Luna Garcia says he took over his mother’s street vending business after an immigration raid.
That decision came after a string of recent immigration enforcement actions in Pasadena. In one raid, federal agents detained people at a bus stop at Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue on June 18. And residents demonstrated last month outside of the AC Hotel, where federal immigration agents were staying. Both took place less than a mile from Villa Parke.
Murillo said he decided to help the family when he learned that Chris had stepped up to sell tamales for his mom because of the sweep and also because they were falling behind on bills.
So Murillo took to Instagram, calling on his followers and others to show up at the stand on Friday to buy out the tamales. He also said he would sell food to raise money to take Chris and the children of a day laborer who was detained during the bus stop operation to Disneyland.
Enji Chung, 47, a resident and member of the Pasadena Tenants Union, was one of the first people to show up and purchase tamales. She said it was important to show support for those affected by the federal immigration crackdown.
People line up as Christopher Luna Garcia, 14, sells tamales from his mother’s cart on Friday near Villa Parke in Pasadena.
“I think it’s been extremely scary to know there are armed, masked people running around, inciting fear and snatching people off the street,” she said. “It’s not just undocumented people. It’s U.S. citizens and anyone they’re racially profiling.”
Yun Uen Ramos-Vega, 22, and Janette Ramos-Vega, 21, drove from Monrovia to support Chris after learning about his story. They said they related to his situation because they are also helping relatives by running errands on their behalf.
The pair said they know at least two people who have been detained by federal immigration agents. At least one has been deported to Mexico while the other remains at a detention center.
Laura Ruvalcaba, 40, of Pasadena, showed up with her husband and 8-year-old son.
“We saw Chris’ story and we’re going to be here,” she said. “We’re all about supporting the community, especially the youth.”
She said she was happy to see the long line of customers.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “Anything we can do to help out and come together is good.”
1. Christopher Luna Garcia collects money after selling tamales from his mother’s cart. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times) 2. Business cards sit on top of the tamale cart. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
An American citizen, Ruvalcaba said the immigration sweeps have left her afraid.
“It’s not even about anything else but the color of my skin,” she said. “I’m scared to come out sometimes.”
She said she started carrying a copy of her American citizenship certificate two weeks ago, as well as her son’s birth certificate. She tells her 18-year-old daughter to be on alert when she goes out.
“Now, you’re not just watching out for bad things,” Ruvalcaba said she told her daughter. “You’re watching out for people in uniforms.”
The event Friday morning also brought out lowriders, which bounced as old-school hip-hop blasted from the car’s speakers, encouraging people to cheer and take videos with their cellphones.
It was nearing 9 a.m. when the tamales from both carts were gone, bringing in more than $1,500 that Chris and his family will use to pay bills and rent.
His brother, Erick Garcia, 20, said his mom and aunt had gone to cook more tamales in hopes of selling more throughout the day.
Exhausted, Chris sat on a fold-out chair for a moment, letting out a sigh of relief and massaging his eyebrows with his fingers. He had been up since 4 a.m. and though he was tired, he said he wanted to take action because his mother helped raised him and his three siblings alone.
“She doesn’t have much support,” he said. “I just want to help her out.”
