Sayuri Tsuchitani

Owner, Sumo Yoga

Wellness | Los Angeles

“Although there has been no direct issue involving my business, the climate of uncertainty and publicity has affected my sense of stability and, at times, my ability to focus fully on growing my business and serving customers."

Sayuri has her green card. She did everything right. She built a small business selling yoga mats at farmers markets across Los Angeles through a direct, face-to-face sales model that depends on showing up, being visible and engaging customers. It's an inherently public business, which right now feels like a liability.

Even though her status is legal, Sayuri is afraid to work. The climate around immigration enforcement, with the raids, the publicity and the uncertainty they have created, has made public-facing commerce feel dangerous to her. She's scaling back. She's pulling away from markets. The "climate of uncertainty" that has compromised her ability to focus on growing her business and serving customers.

And then there's a second blow: tariffs. Sumo Yoga imports its products from Japan, and rising tariffs have cut into margins enough that Sayuri says the current model may not be sustainable. She's running a legal business, holding legal status and being hit from two directions at once. Chilling effects from an enforcement environment she's technically not even the target of, and a trade policy compounding the damage.

"As a small business owner importing goods from Japan into the United States, recent tariff pressures have already created financial strain and uncertainty; additionally, the visible presence of immigration officers heightens my anxiety, and the increased media attention surrounding enforcement activity has amplified those concerns.”