Fearing raids, barred from aid: LA immigrants doubly vulnerable amid fires
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And yet, she added, the aftermath of the disaster felt disappointingly familiar. In recent years, mega-fires – as well as other extreme weather catastrophes, including atmospheric river storms and intense heatwaves – have repeatedly upended the lives of immigrant workers across the state. In the wake of disasters, undocumented immigrants are especially vulnerable, and largely ineligible for federal disaster aid. Many have lost work as well as their homes, said Salas – and they are increasingly afraid that seeking help will attract the scrutiny of immigration authorities.
As gale-force winds whipped up the infernos in LA, immigration officials announced that they had conducted raids in Bakersfield – just two hours north of the more populous city. “I cannot begin to describe the horror. We had a hurricane of embers coming down on our community,” Salas said. “And at the same time people were hearing about these raids.”
Within days, false reports of raids in LA began circulating online. “In the middle of our evacuation, I was getting notices about it,” Salas said. “It was horrible, horrible. I can’t even begin to describe it.”
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