After the January Eaton Fire, day laborers from the Pasadena Community Job Center joined other workers to organize cleaning brigades that cleared roads and sidewalks of fire debris and fallen tree limbs in Pasadena and Altadena. For months, workers were on the front lines removing ash and soot from homes at low or no cost to families, often exposing themselves to toxic contaminants.
Now, the same people rebuilding these devastated areas are being targeted by federal immigration enforcement efforts that have swept through Los Angeles County this month, local advocates said. Families whose loved ones were detained, often the breadwinners, are now scrambling to make ends meet to cover basic needs such as food and housing, in addition to legal fees. Many others are afraid to leave their homes to go to work or run errands for fear of being detained by immigration agents.
The LA Public Press attempted to speak with day laborers affected by the raids for this story, but advocates said they were afraid to expose community members to media attention given their precarious circumstances. They expressed concern about retraumatizing them by recounting their experiences with ICE…