At Tortas Locas & Bakery, the smell of sweet Mexican bread wafts through the restaurant as diners fill their plates buffet-style.
When they pay at the cash register, cashier Alejandra Garcia asks if they'd like to make a donation and, in return, receive a homemade beaded bracelet. The proceeds go to immigrant families dealing with detention and deportation.
Garcia said that when she explains what the bracelets are for, most people want to help.
"Let's say we charge like 100 people throughout the day minimum, about 50 to 70% help out," she said.
The bracelets hang on a rack on the counter, each one hand-strung by a volunteer from a local nonprofit. Some spell out the names of countries like Mexico or Guatemala. Others have words like "paz" or "peace" in Spanish.
Garcia said it's not hard for people to "put themselves in their [immigrant's] situation."
Tortas Locas, which serves traditional Mexican food, feels like home for a lot of its customers.
But lately, increased immigration enforcement has slowed business down. People are afraid to go outside, and some former customers have been detained or deported. While the restaurant remains busy, there's no longer a line out the door like before.
"That's a very hard situation, especially when we see them not as a customer; we see them as friends, as family," Garcia said. "We ask for them, and two, three days later, they're back in their country."
Immigration enforcement hits Florida communities hard
In Florida, immigrant communities have been hit hard by enforcement, said Daniela Arcadia, co-director of immigrant rights group El Pueblo Unido Tampa Bay. The organization is behind the bracelet-making initiative.
Under the second Trump administration, ICE arrests per day in Florida more than tripled compared to the last year of the Biden administration.
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This summer, arrests rose even more sharply. July saw the highest number of arrests in one month since the start of Trump's second term.
Florida lags only behind Texas when it comes to the number of arrests, according to data collected by the Deportation Data Project.
"We started hearing about families that needed help because they were already having family members detained or deported or in the process of getting deported, and the parent left behind was struggling," Arcadia said.
The group helps families by collecting food, hygiene products, back-to-school supplies and other necessities for them.
Like other grassroots organizations, El Pueblo Unido spreads the word online through social media and by attending protests. There were several instances where people handed them cash, Arcadia said.
"To me it felt kind of weird, like just putting my hand out and taking money," Arcadia said.
When one of El Pueblo Unido's volunteers, Amanda Just, came up with the idea of selling bracelets, Arcadia said they ran with it.
Just, who has a background working in nonprofits, said the bracelets are simple but effective.
"When you're trying to get donations, people like to get a little something in return, even if it's a thank-you card or a 'gift' with your donation," Just said.
And it's a great way to start a conversation with other people, she added.
"We never thought we were going to be raising money or helping families in this way. It just kind of happened," Just said.
Community members and local businesses come together
To help boost donations, El Pueblo Unido has a bracelet rack and donation box set up in multiple local businesses. Currently, those businesses include Tortas Locas & Bakery, Salt Your Soul, Guerreros Bakery and Mexican Restaurant, Rabbit Rabbit, Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center and the Mellow Mushroom in Sarasota.
Most people give $5 or $10, according to business owners. And those donations have added up. Arcadia said they've raised about $10,000 this year selling hundreds of bracelets.
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The money has helped about 60 families in the Tampa Bay Region, Arcadia said.
Some people are going into debt paying for legal representation for family members in detention facing deportation. After lawyers' fees, they have little funds left to pay the rent and bills, Arcadia said.
By helping them keep the light on or the water running, Just said, they've "helped people keep some dignity in their lives."
Jen Zack, the owner of Salt Your Soul Gift Co., has turned her shop into more than a business that sells plants and other trinkets.
At the front counter is a metal rack of El Pueblo Unido's homemade bracelets and a basket for collecting nonperishable goods and hygiene items.
Next to the setup is a rotating stand of postcards intended to be mailed to elected representatives with phrases like "Stop deporting my neighbors," and "I'm gonna spend so many volunteer hours making sure you DON'T get reelected."
Zack said she knows her shop isn't for everyone. One time, a customer stormed out, vowing to never shop there again, after seeing the postcard display.
But those moments haven't deterred her from continuing to support immigrants and groups like El Pueblo Unido. Zack said it's more important to her that she's creating a safe space for those struggling in her community.
"I have some customers who are worried that they're going to be deported, and to have to sit here and stand here and talk to my customers about that is just heartbreaking," Zack said. "They have kids in the school system; their kids are in class with my children, and I just want to find ways to help, even if it's as little as selling bracelets at my shop."
You can donate at the El Pueblo Unido Tampa Bay website.
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