These four community coffee businesses supported immigrants navigating ICE activity

Impacted by the presence of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, residents of Santa Ana and other neighboring cities looked to one another for support. Early June 2025 marked the beginning of ICE activity, sparking panic and fear from the streets to homes. Within a week, community members organized protests and workshops to stand up in solidarity with immigrants. While some marched, others, like business owners, used their platforms to share critical information and help the cause. Not everyone can take to the streets and protests. For some, supporting a small business that can donate its profits to organizations protecting immigrants is how they help. A coffee cart can act as a pillar in the community and be a source for good. Coffee businesses like carts, pop-ups and mobile shops have taken the lead in using their businesses to lend a hand to those affected by ongoing ICE activity. From Café Cordova in Santa Ana to Spin Boy! Coffee & Co. in Anaheim, small business owners found ways to serve and support their community.

Café Cordova

@cordovacreationss

A line stretched out in front of a coffee cart as people grabbed their morning coffees and posted to their social media. For over five weeks, Café Cordova hosted its Sip in Solidarity event in which the coffee cart donates a portion of its sales to the OC Rapid Response Network, a non-profit and grassroots organization that works to respond to immigration enforcement in Orange County. Café Cordova works toward being a safe space to support immigrant families.

Driven to give back to the community, team member Clarissa Cordova stated, “Other small businesses will join us in prioritizing the well-being of our communities. I challenge the community to hold us and other businesses accountable…see who stands tall for their community and isn’t just profiting off our culture without giving back.”

The business raised over $1,470 in five weeks for OCRRN.

“Small businesses like ours can play a vital role in helping the community by staying true to their roots and values. For us, that means honoring our Mexican heritage and standing in solidarity with our community.”

The event drew a big crowd with Santa Ana Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez also attending. “I saw a big line at the Cordova cafe. People are open to give. People are donating to buy out street vendors, so they could go home and not be on the street,” said Vazquez.

Spin Boy Coffee

@spinboycoffee

ICE not only impacted Santa Ana neighborhoods. Spin Boy Coffee is helping its community in West Anaheim. The family-run business started as an idea by Rogelio Gonzalez who runs the shop with the help of his mom and sister. The business has a large menu focusing on Mexican specialties. This summer, they helped the immigrant community by donating a share of profits to multiple organizations. “It didn’t feel right selling stuff when all this stuff was going on. But I did want to help out in a way. We just wanted to give a voice because, as individuals, we don’t really have a voice, but through Spin Boy, we do,” said Rogelio.

They donated 100% of their bagel & schmear sales of one week to CHIRLA, 100% of banana bread sales another week to Border Angels, and 10% of every sale a third week to buy out a street vendor’s merchandise in Anaheim.

“At the end of the day, a lot of these people who lot of these people who come are a majority come are a majority Latino. They’re being affected. They’re the ones that are supporting us. It’s good for us to support each other through all this.”

Hasta Mañana Coffee and Brewsers Coffee

@hastamananacoffeeshop and @brewserscoffeeco

On June 13 two small coffee businesses, Hasta Mañana Coffee and Brewsers Coffee, set up a coffee and baked goods sale at Good Daze Tattoo in DTSA. The proceeds of the sale went to GoFundMe accounts of families impacted by ICE. The money raised totaled $1,828. Brewsers Coffee made the coffee while Hasta Mañana Coffee made the baked goods.

“Brewsers Coffee Co. and I have been super active with everything going on with ICE and how families were being affected. But we wanted to help more, so we teamed up to do a sale ourselves,” said Brianna Briseño of Hasta Mañana Coffee. “We did a lot better than we expected and were so grateful to be given the opportunity to give back to our community.”