Undocumented Workers Prepare to Clean Up L.A.’s Fires Amid ICE Raids
In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that tore through Los Angeles last month, undocumented day laborers will likely make up a significant portion of the workforce tasked with clearing debris and rebuilding homes. As they navigate the environmental hazards of this work, they’re also facing the Trump administration’s escalating crackdown on immigrants...
For day laborers in Los Angeles and beyond, anxiety is mounting, said Nadia Marin Molina, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). At a recent “Know Your Rights” workshop at the Pasadena Community Job Center, workers expressed concern. “People were saying they were worried,” she said, noting that their fears were intensified by social media posts warning of raids, not all of which are accurate. (The job center serves as a hub for immigrant workers seeking employment, including those who are undocumented.)
Instilling fear is a central element of the crackdown, she said. Yet the undocumented workers preparing to clear debris from the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires face other pressures—chief among them, the need to make money for themselves and their families. Workers interviewed for this story said those pressures have kept them focused on the work ahead. They also say they want to give back to the country that has offered them a tenuous refuge...
Marin Molina said people who are calling for mass deportations may not realize how much the country relies on immigrant labor to clean up after climate disasters. She pointed to how day laborers had rebuilt communities after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Hurricane Sandy hit New York. One in four workers who were responsible for cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina were undocumented, one study found.
...