Portside

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.

The threat is real. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border, paving the way for military operations in the borderlands. Immigration and Customs Enforcement swiftly followed with raids, arresting thousands in cities including Chicago, New York, Miami, Atlanta and San Diego. In Los Angeles, ICE worked with other federal agencies in an enforcement operation. Federal law enforcement agencies are planning “large scale” immigration raids by the end of February, according to a leaked memo obtained by the L.A. Times. Even before Joe Biden left office, the U.S. Border Patrol conducted a raid in Bakersfield, Calif.

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.

Luis, who asked to be identified only by his first name out of fear for his safety, said he plans to apply for a job to help clear debris from the fires — so long as he has the proper protective equipment. After a climate disaster, large national companies will often hire local day laborers through subcontractors. “We’re available, we’re here, ready to help,” Luis said in Spanish.

But even as he prepared to help with the process of rebuilding, Luis had a heavy heart. Four days after the Eaton fire, his family in Mexico called with the news that his sister had died. Because of his immigration status, he cannot return home to mourn with them. Leaving would mean risking his ability to return to the U.S., where his wife lives. “It makes me feel bad, but I have to keep my mind busy because of that,” he said.

Luis has been alarmed by Trump’s rhetoric and his pledge to remove undocumented  immigrants from the country. As he campaigned for office, the president called unauthorized immigrants “migrant criminals” and “gang members” who are “poisoning our country.” “Yes, I feel fear, but at the same time, I feel a desire to move forward and work,” Luis said in Spanish.

Not all day laborers feel frightened by the Trump administration’s aggressive actions against people without legal status. Jonathan, who asked to be identified only by his first name for safety, still plans to wait outside Home Depot for work — despite the risk of ICE raids.

The Ecuadorian crossed the southern border in May 2024 and is seeking asylum, though he has no long-term permission to stay. He fled after witnessing gang members murder his boss over a debt. Fearing for his life, he moved to another city, but after receiving a threatening message demanding money, he decided to leave Ecuador.

Jonathan traveled to Juárez, Mexico, climbed the border wall — cutting his fingers on razor wire — and was briefly detained by ICE before being released with an ankle monitor, which was later removed. He then took a bus to Los Angeles, where he now lives and works.

At first, Jonathan believed Trump would only deport immigrants with criminal records — but ICE raids quickly proved otherwise. On Jan. 26, agents arrested nearly 1,200 people in a single day; nearly half had no criminal history, according to NBC News.

Jonathan calls the arrests unjust. “There are many people without papers who are helping make this country better,” he said, though he agrees that those with criminal records should be deported.

Still, he isn’t afraid. He hopes to stay and continue sending money home. “If God allows, I’ll stay,” he said in Spanish. “If not, I’ll leave if the state tells me to.”

Los Angeles will likely need his help. Across the country, immigrant labor — much of it undocumented — plays a critical role in rebuilding efforts after natural disasters, which are becoming increasingly common due to climate change. In California, an estimated 40% of construction workers are foreign-born, many without legal status. Nationally, more than a third of workers in some trades, such as drywalling and roofing, are undocumented. 

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.

Both California and Los Angeles have sanctuary laws that prevent local police from sharing someone’s immigration status with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — providing some protection. But Marin Molina of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network said sanctuary laws do not remove the threat entirely because the Trump administration is sending federal agents to those jurisdictions.

However, the situation is even more dire in states like Texas that don’t have sanctuary laws, and where local authorities have said they want to work with the new administration. “Immigrant community members won’t be able to trust their own local police departments to protect them, and instead, have to be afraid that police or sheriffs are going to become immigration agents and turn them over. So that’s definitely a threat to workers in [those] places,” Marin Molina said.

For now, Jonathan and Luis have joined other immigrant workers in volunteering with the Pasadena Community Job Center, clearing brush and distributing water to residents of the mostly immigrant community impacted by the fires. The job center, which is part of the NDLON network, has stepped up to provide mutual aid after the wildfires. “We’re showing gratitude by giving back,” Jonathan said. “It’s our way of reciprocating to the country that opened its doors to us.”

More stories by Hilary Beaumont

Capital & Main is an award-winning nonprofit publication that reports from California on the most pressing economic, environmental and social issues of our time.​ Its mission is to educate the public on matters of importance such as economic inequality, climate change, health care, threats to democracy, hate and extremism and immigration. We produce investigative reporting, news features and analysis in California and across the country. Capital & Main’s stories are co-published in hundreds of media outlets, including The Guardian, USA Today, Fortune, Fast Company and Rolling Stone. Donate. Subscribe.