Outside of the Edward J. Schwartz courthouse in downtown San Diego on Nov. 25, community members gathered to support Norberto Ambrosio, the owner of Just Peachy Market in Leucadia, as he awaited his court interview.
Ahead of the 9 a.m appointment, residents came prepared with handmade signs, several of which included the words, “We stand with immigrants … Keep families together.”
As Ambrosio stared out across familiar faces donning smiles and loving stares, a priest waiting to bless him leaned in and whispered in Spanish: “This is the fruit of your harvest.”
Shock rippled through the Encinitas community earlier in November as his family announced that Ambrosio had received a court notice for a previously closed immigration case. The business is one of the few such Latino-owned in the area, and many residents have attested to the sense of community the market provides.
“If you go in once or twice, he’ll recognize you and greet you, and that’s what we need in the community,” shared Nikola Ranson, who has been a Leucadia resident for decades.
Ambrosio had arrived in North County as a teenager and had fought to establish his residency for years, starting in the early 2000s. The case had closed in 2014, Sofia Ambrosio, Norberto’s oldest daughter, said in an interview ahead of the court meeting.
“He’s an upstanding citizen, and just a loving, kind person in the way he runs his market and his family,” Encinitas resident Sarah Garfield shared. “It’s like a hug in Leucadia.”
At the rally, Ambrosio walked through the crowds thanking every single person for coming and giving tight hugs to long time customers and friends.
Outside of Ambrosio’s case, North San Diego County residents said they have been grappling with increased immigration enforcement and trickling effects to their business community.
“We see restaurants closing, we see prices going up, people are struggling for the care and keeping of their family,” shared a North County resident, who gave her name as Lisa. “We keep targeting more and more people who we once hailed as our front line workers.”
Lisa did not want to share her last name to protect her family’s safety and for fear of retribution.
Lisa also said that her friends who are restaurant owners are now learning how to assist employees with know-your-rights training and how to find legal representation. As a result of increased immigration enforcement, they are also struggling to sufficiently staff their businesses.
According to a 2025 report from the Vera Institute of Justice, an organization that advocates against the criminalization of people of color and immigrants, immigrants make up 26% of San Diego County’s labor force; 39,500 immigrants in the county are entrepreneurs.
In Encinitas, 2023 census data found that 12.1% of its population was foreign-born. In other North County communities, immigrants made up more than 10% and up to 23% of the population.
Brittany Mucija, an Oceanside resident and previous employee at Just Peachy Market, shared that she has seen a decline in community members going to work and shopping at small businesses.
“Because Latinos support Latinos a lot … when it comes to immigration and deportation, people have been scared of even going out of their houses and being out there for each other,” Mucija said.
In October, ICE operations targeting day laborers at Encinitas and San Marcos Home Depot stores captured the attention of residents. Back in August, arrests near Park Dale Lane Elementary School also sparked concerns and vigilance among the public.
“That’s not a coincidence. That’s retaliation. I believe the community’s outrage,” Ranson said.
Since the incident, Nikola Ranson and her husband, Ron, have boycotted Home Depot.
“I wanted to support Norberto and also to support what he represents, as far as exactly who we need in America,” she added. “These are the immigrants we want.”
Via a story on Just Peachy’s Instagram, Sofia Ambrosio shared at 10 a.m that her family walked out together. The case is currently ongoing and the next hearing will be in May.
“It’s not over yet, but we have so much hope,” Sofia posted with a picture of her father leaving the courthouse with a huge smile.
Hannah Ramirez is a local freelance writer. Letters to the editor are welcome. Send them to letters[at]northcoastcurrent.com.
