Compton Restaurant Owner Aids Both Protesters and Police During Immigration Demonstrations

A Compton restaurant owner demonstrated remarkable compassion by providing aid to both protesters and law enforcement officers during heated immigration demonstrations that erupted outside her establishment on Saturday, June 7.

Elizabeth Mendoza, owner of Restaurante Y Pupuseria La Ceiba, watched anxiously as protesters demonstrating against President Trump’s immigration raids clashed with police directly in front of her business. The confrontation escalated quickly, with officers deploying chemical irritants that affected everyone in the vicinity.

“It started with just a few people, then it started growing very quickly,” Mendoza told CNN through a translator. “I don’t know what happened with the tear gas they threw. It was so strong at one point that we all felt like we were suffocating.”

As the situation intensified, Mendoza and her staff opened their doors to anyone needing relief from the chemical irritants. Surveillance footage from 5:30 p.m. shows restaurant employees providing water to LA County Sheriff’s deputies, fanning their watering eyes, and applying wet towels to their faces. One employee guided an officer toward the walk-in refrigerator for relief.

Mendoza, herself an immigrant from El Salvador who has operated her restaurant for 15 years, didn’t limit her assistance to law enforcement. She also helped protesters affected by the tear gas, providing towels for protection and offering milk to counteract the irritants until her supply ran out.

“I was at the door, just letting everyone in,” she said. “They just acted the way they felt they should have done to other people themselves.”

The restaurant owner’s actions reflect the complex reality facing immigrant communities in Compton and surrounding areas, where nearly half of Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents are Latino or Hispanic, and over one-third are immigrants. Despite fears that her restaurant might be damaged during the protests, Mendoza chose to remain open.

“I sympathize with many protesters. I live in the area, and I can practically tell you that I know several of them, and they are good people and are my clients,” Mendoza explained. She felt an obligation to stay open for her community, “who have always been with me through thick and thin.”

While many have praised the restaurant workers’ compassion, Mendoza acknowledged that some have criticized her for helping both sides. “I just want them to know that we did it as human beings,” she said. “I’m happy to have helped those people, just like I did with the people who were there for the protests.”

Mendoza’s story highlights the human dimension of the immigration debate affecting South Los Angeles communities. As someone who came to the United States alone “without a father, without a mother, without siblings,” she understands the immigrant experience firsthand.

“Sometimes we’re treated like aliens; we’re not like that,” Mendoza said. “We’ve all come with a purpose, which is to work and put in the effort. And often, I think they don’t realize that it’s us Latinos who come to do the most difficult jobs.”

This story draws on reporting by Chris Boyette and Graham Hurley for CNN.