Could Rebuilding LA Upend Plans to Deport Millions of Immigrants?

Was Live Friday, Jan 24, 2025 | 11am PST

Related Coverage

• Story | After LA Fires, Immigrants Face Deportation Threats
• Playlist | Highlights from this Briefing

Guest Speakers

• Pablo Alvarado/Nadia Marín Molina, Co-Executive Directors of NDLON, the National Day Laborers Organizing Network
• Nik Theodore, Distinguished Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Policy University of Illinois Chicago
• Anabella Bastida, Director of Membership and Membership Services, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles CHIRLA
• Jennie Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer at the National Immigration Forum

Event Overview

Immigrants are the backbone of the American economy and are key to many sectors, including construction and other services relevant to the reconstruction after a disaster. In post-apocalyptic fires in LA, as has happened in every disaster in the United States, immigrants are already hard at work doing the cleanup as the area emerges from its worst disaster ever. Many of these workers are undocumented.

An effective recovery will be key not just for the people who lost their homes but also for the insurance industry and the economy at large. In 2005, President George W. Bush paused employer sanctions. In 2025, business leaders have already been in touch with the incoming administration to try to damp some of the impetus behind the “mass deportation” plans, as many industries are already at a “lean” point, with a dearth of workers. 

Experts and advocates will discuss whether this effort will go anywhere and what steps are being taken to confront the issue and ensure workers’ rights.

Presented by Ethnic Media Services

Cover Image Credit: Canva Photos