SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — The beer was flowing and the scent of churros and Mexican food hung in the air as Mexican bandas performed at the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet.

“All the women who think men are useless, let me hear you,” the singer of Banda Valle Verde Del Pacifico shouted into the microphone. A wave of screams and laughs filled the venue as people bounced and twirled to the popular Mexican music.

On this recent Saturday afternoon, more than 3,000 people enjoyed the festivities, the largest turnout since nearly 100 federal immigration agents raided the predominantly Latino shopping center in June.

But the boisterous gathering represented a break from recent trends at the swap meet. Since the raid, the crowds have shrunk and some vendors have abandoned the location, fearful of an

See Full Page