CLEVELAND — A Cleveland bakery is taking steps to educate and inform customers during a time of uncertainty. Culture is on the menu, but one Puerto Rican family is also providing a sense of comfort for customers worried they might be deported.
Guateriquena Bakery offers a variety of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan sweets and savory dishes, but Rosemary Gramajo Quiñones's family business is also serving up a sense of relief.
“If the community isn't there for the people, then the people are going to feel alone,” said Rosemary.
At Guateriquena, the majority of their customers are Hispanic. After President Donald Trump took office, Rosemary noticed a decline in walk-in business and a significant increase in delivery orders.
“One day, our customer she said, 'I don't want to go outside a lot because I'm scared.' And I say, 'Don't worry. Come over here,'” said
Refusing to give in to that fear, Rosemary's family began providing informational materials to help customers understand their rights when dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“It's like allowing the bakery to be a place where people feel safe, where people feel like they could go and be informed,” said Rosemary.
Lawmakers like Josh Williams argue the new policies shouldn't scare everyone.
“If you're here legally, you know, we welcome you. We want you to be here. But if you're here illegally, and you don't have permission to remain here in the state of Ohio or in the United States, you need to go back to your country of origin,” said Williams.
Despite the reassurance, Veronica Dahlberg from Hola Ohio says the fear many immigrants feel has become paralyzing.
“Well, I think in those areas where there's no information, or there's misinformation, the people did, you know, I guess stopped going to work, stopped going to school, stayed in their homes,” said Dahlberg.
She emphasized the importance of community support and education, much like what Rosemary’s family is providing through their bakery.
“I would say this too, my father's immigration case has been ongoing for 18 years, you know, like when you hear dad and but you still see him serving customers. You still see him thriving here in this country. It's like, that's hope,” said Rosemary.
Rosemary’s bakery plans to continue to offer not only physical and emotional support but also spiritual strength, reminding the community that they are not alone.
“At the end of the day, what I always tell people is, we just got to have hope. We just got to have faith and know that everything's going to be OK because eventually everything is,” said Rosemary.
