As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, Philadelphia’s immigrant business owners are finding new ways to support one another as they navigate a time of political and economic uncertainty.
Felipa Ventura is the president of the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos (the Mexican Business Owners Association, otherwise known as AEM). She says that since Trump took office, the association has become a support group for the Latino business owners and the larger community.
“After one year, I understand what was done to my community was a campaign of terror,” Ventura said.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the members of AEM—which was founded in 2022—have supported one another through everything from Know Your Rights trainings to cultural events and meetings with local officials.
“[The workshops] were like therapy to help us understand that nothing that we were doing was bad. We are working, and if someone arrives at our business we know our rights.” Ventura said.
In Philadelphia, thousands of people have been deported since Trump took office in January of 2025. For business owners this has meant navigating a loss of business from a community that has receded from public life.
But for Ventura and other members of AEM, navigating difficult circumstances is nothing new.
“In our countries, ‘no’ doesn’t exist — only ‘you can do it’”
When Ventura first arrived in the United States, she had no formal business training. But by relying on the knowledge and experience she brought from her home country of Mexico, she was eventually able to open multiple successful businesses of her own.
She says her culture was a driving force that pushed her to succeed.
“In our countries, ‘no’ doesn’t exist — only ‘you can do it,’” Ventura said.
In the years between her arrival to the United States and today, Ventura has owned several successful businesses.
She grew up in Puebla, Mexico, where, from a young age, her mother taught her how to be an entrepreneur. As a child she would accompany her mother as she sold fruit and vegetables.
In 2003, Ventura immigrated to Philadelphia with the dream of starting a business of her own.
After saving money for a few years, Ventura opened her first business in 2006—a mini-market. This later inspired her to open Taqueria Morales, the restaurant on 9th Street that she currently owns.
When she opened her first business she said that there were not many Hispanic people in the Philadelphia area operating their own businesses.
“When I opened my business in 2006 there weren’t many Hispanics here, so they had to learn everything.” She said.
With no formal support, Ventura learned to be a business owner as she went. In Mexico, there weren’t the same kinds of rules and regulations that are required of business owners in the U.S.
“In Mexico, self-employment was informal and when you come to this country it is very structured. You have to learn how the city works, how to pay taxes, and how the system works,” Ventura said.
In 2019, faced with the rising cost of living and her daughters college tuition, she opened Taqueria Morales bringing the “natural and healthy” ingredients of Mexican cuisine—particularly from Puebla—to life for a neighborhood she is proud to call home.
According to Ventura her “thought is that nutrition is a fundamental part of contributing to the neighborhood.”
She wanted to give her community access to healthy foods without a high cost because of the economic challenges that she has seen many of her community members face.
“It’s the way I contribute to my neighborhood,” she said.
The beginning of a business association
A few months after opening her restaurant, COVID-19 struck.
It became clear to her that, as an immigrant, she did not have access to the same kind of support and financial relief as other business owners in the city.
That is when a group of Mexican business owners—including restaurant owners on Jackson Street, as well as flower shop and craft store owners—decided to form La Asociacion de Empresarios Mexicanos.
“They organized not to feel sorry for themselves, but to show that when you organize you can change things that you don’t like,” Ventura said.
Since the pandemic, her goals have shifted to supporting her community, she said.
She said they meet every month to discuss everything from the process of getting permits and licenses to topics such as immigration.
According to AEM’s website,
“Our goal is to establish networks of mutual support which allows for opportunities, resources, and knowledge which can be shared.”
When asked what her message is to local politicians who represent immigrant communities, Ventura said:
“I would tell them not to forget why they got to their positions in the first place. If your motivation is to help your own community, don’t forget that while your on your path. Sometimes we all have to return to our beginnings.”
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