A D.C. street vendor with permanent residency status described living in fear of having an interaction with immigration officers.

Matea, who is originally from El Salvador, said she has been selling products from a stand on 14th Street in Columbia Heights for five years. Since the deployment of the National Guard and surge of federal authorities in the nation’s capital, her sales have gone down drastically, she said.

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Before on a good sales day, she would sell perfume, shirts and keychains, she said. Now, on her best days she only manages to sell a couple of perfume bottles.

In the past few weeks, Matea has seen fewer business owners and fewer customers in the area, she said. Even business owners who have permanent stat

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