ICE came to town and left behind weakened economies

Protestors march during a "Nationwide Shutdown" demonstration against ICE enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Stephen Maturen | Getty ImagesMINNEAPOLIS — Operation Metro Surge has been over for months. The same can't be said for the crisis facing Daniel Hernandez's Colonial Market grocery stores.After Hernandez's parking lot became a well-known hangout spot for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the lines that Hernandez grew accustomed to seeing each morning at his stores disappeared. The rebound in traffic Hernandez hoped to see after the end of the surge never materialized."We're barely — literally barely — surviving," Hernandez told CNBC in an interview inside one of his stores, where Spanish-language music played through speakers and piñatas dangled from the ceiling. "The damage has been done."Daniel Hernandez inside Colonial Market, his Minneapolis grocery store.Alex Harring | CNBCThis summer, Hernandez shuttered Colonial Market's location on Lake Street, the heart of Minneapolis' Hispanic business community. Hernandez had spent savings and borrowed money against his house to open the store two years prior. He said sales at his stores have decline...