In the small town of Los Fresnos, Texas, Abby’s Bakery is more than just a place to buy sweet treats — it's a community hub where locals gather for coffee, conversation, and cakes. But when federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations raided the bakery in February, arresting the owners and eight staff members, residents were stunned.
The raid challenged assumptions in a town where many didn’t expect immigration enforcement to target such a familiar, non-violent business. Owners Leonardo Baez and Nora Avila-Guel aren’t the kind of individuals that former border enforcement official Tom Homan refers to as the “worst of the worst.”
“I was surprised because I know that they’re not taking advantage of the people,” said Esteban Rodriguez, 43, after finding the bakery closed. “It was more like helping out people. They didn’t have nowhere to go, instead of them being on the streets.”
The incident reveals the tension in Cameron County, a largely Hispanic area where Republicans made significant gains in the last election. The county voted for a Republican president for the first time since 2004, and neighboring Starr County did so for the first time since 1896.
Now, Baez and Avila-Guel — both Mexican nationals and legal permanent U.S. residents — face charges of harboring and concealing undocumented immigrants, an uncommon move against small business owners who usually face civil penalties. If convicted, the couple could be deported, despite having five U.S. citizen children.
Los Fresnos, a town of about 8,500 that is 90% Latino and largely reliant on its school district for employment, is roughly 30 minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border. Abby’s Bakery attracted a wide range of daily customers, from retirees to school bus drivers and churchgoers, who selected their pastries from glass cabinets with tongs.
Six of the bakery’s eight employees were in the country on visitor visas but lacked work permits, according to a federal complaint. A Homeland Security agent’s affidavit also noted that the employees lived in shared accommodations within the bakery building — six beds and two bathrooms.
Baez, 55, and Avila-Guel, 46, have pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers say the workers weren’t coerced and their presence wasn’t hidden in the way human smugglers typically operate.
Following the arrests, the bakery temporarily shut down, sparking a small protest of about 20 people on an unusually cold night.
Monsignor Pedro Briseño of St. Cecilia Church, who frequently visited Abby’s before morning Mass for a campechana pastry, recalled the day agents arrived in unmarked vehicles. “A woman came here crying. She said, ‘Father, Father, they’re taking my brother,’” Briseño said. He walked over and witnessed agents zip-tying workers’ hands.
The broader debate over immigration enforcement is complicated. A January poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center found broad bipartisan support — 82% — for deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes. But only 43% supported deporting all people in the country illegally, while 37% opposed it.
While Trump and his officials stress targeting criminals, they also say others found during such operations may be removed as well — a shift from the Biden administration's approach. So far, Trump has avoided large-scale workplace raids but smaller operations continue, including the arrest of 37 individuals at a roofing company in Washington state.
ICE reported 32,809 arrests during the first 50 days of Trump’s return to office, averaging 656 daily — up from 311 per day during a comparable period ending last September. Of those arrested, nearly half had prior criminal convictions and about a third faced pending charges, though the agency didn’t detail the nature of those charges.
Community members are often more sympathetic when those targeted have no criminal background and deep roots in the area.
Abby’s has since reopened after the owners were released on bond.
Among the returning patrons were Chela and Alicia Vega, two retired school employees and longtime friends of the couple. Chela recalled how Baez and Avila-Guel once drove them to Mexico after a family member’s death and later helped clean up after a hurricane — without charging a cent.
For Terri Sponsler, 61, returning to Abby’s feels like taking a stand. “With everything going on right now in our country, we need to find ways to protest,” she said.
Los Fresnos City Manager Mark W. Milum noted the bakery’s importance, not just as a gathering place, but also as a contributor to property and sales tax revenue for the town’s $13 million annual budget.
Others simply can’t resist the pastries.
“Other bakeries, they pop up, right?” said Ruth Zamora, 65. “But when you go there, it’s not the same.”