Miami Chef Reverses Trump Support, Cites Immigration Enforcement Impact on Business

Chef Wilkinson “Ken” Sejour, who established Chef Creole restaurants in 1992, has publicly expressed regret over his vote for President Donald Trump, citing the negative consequences of immigration enforcement on his Miami-based business. Sejour’s decision to reverse his political support comes as his expansion plans have stalled and his community faces mounting economic pressures. The Haitian-Bahamian restaurateur joins a growing number of South Florida business owners who attribute declining revenues directly to the administration’s deportation agenda.

An ICE detention incident on August 2 near Sejour’s Little Haiti location at 200 NW 54th St. left a significant impression on his business operations. The agency apprehended a man on a scooter just steps from his restaurant’s drive-thru area, an encounter that Sejour said deterred customers from patronizing his establishment. The visible enforcement activity created what he characterized as a chilling effect across the broader community and customer base.

The termination of Temporary Protected Status for approximately 300,000 Haitians compounded the operational challenges facing Sejour’s restaurants. A June 25 U.S. Supreme Court decision enabled the Department of Homeland Security to end both the protected status and associated work permits on July 27, eliminating a significant portion of Sejour’s workforce. Sejour had anticipated that Trump’s business background would translate into pro-growth policies rather than enforcement actions that disrupt economic activity.

“I can’t support a candidate that is having this ripple negative effect on our community, on our economy,” Sejour stated. He acknowledged that publicly reversing his political position has been personally difficult, but emphasized that business decisions must ultimately benefit both his enterprise and the broader community served by his restaurants.