Federal immigration enforcement activity in New Bedford, Massachusetts has led immigrant residents and business owners to avoid public spaces, with at least 24 people arrested in recent raids, many in front of local businesses along Acushnet Avenue. One restaurant owner said business fell an estimated 50 percent after a customer was detained by agents outside his establishment, while another owner said a similar incident outside her restaurant has left her struggling to pay her mortgage and considering closing. An immigration lawyer said most people detained were Central American and Mexican workers employed at seafood processing plants, and business advisers said immigrant families are now creating caretaker affidavits in case parents are detained or deported, with anxiety in the community reported to exceed levels seen after a 2007 factory raid that detained more than 360 undocumented immigrants. Mayor Jon Mitchell has urged residents to continue patronizing local businesses, while economic development officials say fear of ICE is disrupting the broader local economy.