The market said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution and concern” for its vendors, customers, and staff, many of whom are immigrants or second-generation U.S. citizens with family members who are immigrants. With no set reopening date, the closure displaces more than 1,100 small business vendors — most selling food and goods central to Latin American culture — and underscores the deep unease spreading through immigrant communities as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up operations in Nevada.
Since 1977, Broadacres and its vendors have served the communities of North Las Vegas — which is home to 41 percent Latino residents, according to 2024 Census data — and the larger Southern Nevada community. Open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the swap meet is home to food vendors, like Birria de Res Zacatecas, Pupuseria El Cordero, and Las Enchiladas de Mama, who sell everything from handmade pupusas and birria tacos to mango chamoy snacks. Shopping is often accompanied by the sounds of Norteño Mexican folk music and big traditional banda bands.
In the announcement, Broadacres informed sellers and customers that the decision to close was predicated “with fear and uncertainty at its highest level ever among the immigrant community in Las Vegas.” The announcement continues: “We don’t want any of our customers, vendors, or employees to be detained at our business or for us to be a beacon of shopping and entertainment while our federal government is raiding businesses and detaining its people.” The marketplace does not yet have an estimated date of reopening.
Nevada’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, posted on X about the Broadacres closure. “Instead of focusing on criminals, Trump is indiscriminately targeting immigrant communities and pushing places like Broadacres Marketplace to close,” Cortez Masto posted. “These are innocent Nevadans working hard to build a better life. This president’s campaign of intimidation is cruel and un-American.”
“This is devastating and a direct result of the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate mass deportations,” Rosen posted. “Around 20,000 people visit Broadacres every weekend. Going after law-abiding immigrants doesn’t just hurt families, it hurts our economy.”
Representatives from Broadacres Marketplace did not respond to a request for comment regarding the temporary closing. In the meantime, the Broadacres community — vendors, musicians, cooks, and families — waits.
