PILSEN — As ICE patrols swarm Chicago, the tamale vendors who serve up steaming hot corn husks from the sidewalks or sell them to hungry bar patrons from coolers have retreated from their regular spots for fear of being snatched.
That has prompted a brigade of bicyclists to take to the streets in a show of support, buying out the vendors so they can go home to safety while making the money they need to survive.
At least three street vendors have been detained by federal agents since the Trump administration started operations Midway Blitz and At Large last month. The controversial immigration enforcement operations are supposed to target undocumented people with serious criminal histories — but many Chicagoans have reported loved ones being taken even if they do not have a history.
Cycling x Solidarity, a collective of Chicago cyclists who organize group rides and mutual aid efforts, will host a Street Vendor Bike Tour Saturday with the Street Vendors Association of Chicago. The ride will begin 10 a.m. at Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park and wind through Pilsen and Little Village, where the group will buy food from street vendors.
**RELATED:_Chicago Rallies To Support Street Vendors Impacted By ICE: ‘The Backbone Of Our Neighborhoods’_**
All purchases are considered funds for vendors and not donations since Cycling x Solidarity’s work is not tax-deductible, said Rick Rosales, a community organizer with Cycling x Solidarity.
The Saturday ride is an extension of an initiative that started last month when the group decided to collect funds to buy out vendors in Pilsen and Little Village so vulnerable residents could pack up early and avoid federal agents. Riders paid the vendors in cash and then passed out the food to people in need throughout Chicago, Rosales said.
> View this post on Instagram
>
> A post shared by CyclingxSolidarity (@cyclingxsolidarity)
Cycling x Solidarity’s rides benefit vendors of all types, including those who sell tamales, elotes and tortas throughout Pilsen, Hermosa and Little Village.
The group has organized similar events like Burrito Brigade, where cyclists deliver burritos to Chicagoans living in encampments and shelters, and an unemployment support group that provides resume help, networking and a place to air out job search frustrations.
Rosales hopes to make the Saturday vendor tour part of a series, he said.
“We’re providing an opportunity to support vendors and hearing their stories, to make this so it’s not just transactional,” he said, adding that the group is always looking for translators who can help. “They’re gonna introduce themselves so we can support them in that way.”
Rosales lived in Indianapolis for 12 years, and he saw virtually no street vendors, he said. But in Chicago, where street vendors are a common sight, they stir “literally warm and figuratively warm” feelings in him.
“To me, it embodies what it means to be an American,” he said. “My fondest memories are them handing these warm tamales for a reasonable price and being able to support them and their hustle. I think a lot of Chicagoans have a similar feeling toward them. They cherish the vendors in their neighborhood.”
As immigration enforcement operations have ramped up in Chicago, food vendors have retreated from their usual spots in Pilsen, Little Village and other neighborhoods out of fear of being targeted by federal agents. Credit: Rita Oceguera / The Trace
The tense political climate has pushed many vendors into the shadows, said Maria Orozco, development manager and outreach coordinator with the nonprofit Street Vendors Association of Chicago. The organization helps street vendors obtain insurance, licenses and Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.
“It’s been really tough on them. And then the people that have the opportunity to go out and sell or just risk it, they’re not getting as much sales as they used to,” Orozco said. “So it’s something very traumatizing for people to see. … It’s very unexpected. I think COVID wasn’t even this bad.”
For Orozco, the impact on street vendors is personal. Her family of four, including Orozco’s sister, began selling tamales, elotes and chicharrones about a decade ago on the corner of 79th Street and Pulaski Road in Ashburn. Both her parents still work as vendors, but her mother hasn’t ventured out for fear of ICE, nor have they gone to the church where they once set up shop, Orozco said.
“We always used to complain that we can’t have family Funday Sunday, and now we haven’t worked in weeks,” Orozco said, adding that her sister does the grocery shopping so her mother can stay home. “It doesn’t feel real, what’s going on.”
Cycling x Solidarity rides take cyclists to Chicago neighborhoods to buy out street vendors and pass out their food to people in need. Credit: Instagram/Cycling x Solidarity
In spite of the bleak mood weighing over many Chicagoans since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz, Cycling x Solidarity’s initiative has inspired other cyclists to embark on their own vendor buyouts. Humboldt Park resident Stephanie Reid wasn’t able to attend one of Rosales’ recent rides but still wanted to help.
“I stole Rick’s idea,” Reid joked. “When all the ICE activity increased, I said, ‘I have a pretty generous network of friends. Let me go buy out some vendors on my own.’”
Reid posted on Facebook that she wanted to raise a few hundred bucks to buy out local street vendors. She received donations from all around the United States via Zelle and Venmo, she said. She drove around West Town, Logan Square and Humboldt Park with her husband and 14-year-old, buying out $200 worth of tacos from one vendor and $120 worth of tamales from another vendor so they could return to their homes.
The outing turned into a teachable moment for Reid, showing her teen the importance of helping her neighbors, she said. She was also surprised to learn that not only could her teen use the Spanish they learned in school to translate conversations with vendors, but her husband knew Spanish too.
“They’re just a fixture on our streets, and it’s awesome what they’re doing,” Reid said of the vendors. “Personally, I’m a huge fan of Claudio, who goes around and sells his tamales at all the bars. They’re just hardworking people trying to make a living and supporting their families.”
* * *
**Support Local News!**
**Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, **an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? **Click here to gift a subscription** , or you can**support Block Club with atax-deductible donation.**
**Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:**
Listen OnApple PodcastsListen OnGoogle PodcastsListen OnSpotify
Meet The ICE Resistance — Cameras, Whistles, And Neighborhood Rapid Response Teams
Episode play icon
Meet The ICE Resistance — Cameras, Whistles, And Neighborhood Rapid Response Teams
Episode play icon
Judge Blocks Trump’s National Guard Push Into Chicago — For Now
Episode play icon
The Most Chicago Thing That’s Ever Happened To Me Was _____
Episode play icon
Babe’s Giving Women’s Sports Fans In Chicago A Place To Call Home
Episode play icon
Private Fences Put Up Around A Public Park — And Neighbors Aren’t Happy
Load More
Search Results placeholder
Previous Episode
Show Episodes List
Next Episode
Show Podcast Information
