After an ICE arrest and wrongful detention, Job Garcia turned trauma into healing by launching a family-run tamales stand with a powerful community mission.
The 24 hours that Job Garcia spent in ICE custody sparked a project that has since changed the lives of his family and made a significant impact both in the community and on social media.
On June 19, Garcia was unlawfully arrested outside a Home Depot for filming an immigration operation being carried out by ICE. The arrest led to widespread mobilization, drawing attention from local and national media, exposing ICE’s illegal tactics, and even the arrest of U.S. citizens based on alleged immigration suspicions.
“It really affected me, it made me think a lot. But it also helped bring to light ICE’s abuses. When they released me, I was confused, and I struggled. I had to go through a period of recovery, attending therapy; I didn’t feel like doing anything, studying, or working. But in that difficult time, the idea my niece had long asked for came to life: a lemonade stand. However, since the season for lemonade had passed, I suggested we sell tamales and champurrado instead. My mom cooks really well. I threw myself into it, and I can honestly say that it has helped me heal,” says Job.
El Puestesito de Aniella y Amelio (named after his 7- and 5-year-old niece and nephew) emerged as a family project. Job told his niece that if they were going to start this business, they should give it a social purpose—helping the community rather than just making money.
“I was clear with her. I said, ‘There are already too many millionaires in the world; this isn’t for us to get rich,’” Job recalls.
Aniella agreed. The project took several months to come together. Job didn’t even know how to build the cart and had to learn along the way. He also felt that his mother, who retired after suffering a workplace injury, needed a motivation. Despite not needing the extra income, she would go out in the mornings to collect things and sell them.
“I was worried about her, but when the project began, we saw a change in her. Her tamales are very popular, and family members tell her she seems to be in a much better place,” shares Job.
After a video of Job’s arrest was shared by Activista Media on social media, the community began to take notice of the project, and slowly, it has been growing. Even Job and his family are uncertain of where it might lead.
“We don’t know how far this will go. I was very clear with Aniella: the day she decides to stop, we stop,” Job says.
As for Aniella, she sounds very enthusiastic.
“Not many of my friends know what I do, but the other day someone at school came up to ask if I was the girl with the stand,” she laughs. “They saw it on social media.”
Aniella’s favorite tamales are the pineapple ones. She can eat several of them, especially when paired with champurrado, but one of the things she enjoys the most is… “collecting the money.”
Job Garcia was illegally arrested outside a Home Depot for filming an ICE raid. “I was so sad when I saw the video,” Aniella says.
Aniella was very upset when she saw the video of her uncle’s arrest. But when he came home, she hugged him and was certain that they should go ahead with the project. Job decided to choose Mexican pink as the stand’s color through a poll on his social media, and this color felt deeply connected to their mission.
“What we’re doing has two main goals. One is to highlight the importance of our culture and show how significant it is. The other is to make an impact on our community. There was no better way to represent this than with something uniquely ours—Mexican pink,” says Job.
This family lives in Silver Lake, one of the first neighborhoods hit by gentrification. Now, Job is seeing more Latinos and businesses returning to the area, which is a good sign for the future of their project.
Job Garcia is pursuing a PhD at Claremont Graduate University and is also a photographer. He works as a delivery driver for a company contracted by Home Depot.
“We have to continue representing the pride of being Mexican. Now, when I reflect on everything that has happened, I conclude that El Puestesito with my nieces and nephews has had a positive impact on our family—and on me. It’s helped me a lot. I’m still going to therapy and working on my recovery process, but I can say it categorically: I’m not afraid of ICE.”
He Went to Texas to Shoot a Wedding. ICE Sent Him Back to El Salvador Instead
