Chicago community members are stepping up for street vendors in a creative show of solidarity amid a sweeping federal immigration crackdown. It’s being reported that in neighborhoods across the city, activists and residents are organizing “buy-out” events, purchasing entire inventory from tamale, elote, and snack vendors so those workers can leave the street early and avoid possible run-ins with ICE.

The Chicago metropolitan area has seen more than 3,200 arrests since the start of a federal immigration crackdown. These arrests have emptied streets and storefronts in the city’s Latino neighborhoods. Fearing arrest, street vendors have been afraid to leave their homes to work. Local restaurants have struggled as customers choose to stay home.

Community members hope to reach vendors who fear working and make sure they don’t lose income while also signaling that they have value and indeed matter to the community. The AP is reporting “the cyclists arrive at sunrise… stopping at tamale carts, elote stands and candy stalls. They buy out every last item… then they load up the food and deliver it to shelters and families in need.

The vendor advocacy group known as the Street Vendors Association of Chicago has raised over $300,000 in a GoFundMe campaign and paired funds with bike-ride buy-outs to keep economic pressure from collapsing in hard-hit zones. One organizer said of vendors, “The street vendors are small businesses, and you went from seeing 20 vendors to seeing two vendors out there.”

What started as local mutual aid, has become what many are calling a “day without fear” for vendors, a chance to step back from working under threat and still be supported by their neighbors.