With each breath, we inhale someone else’s yesterdays.
Los Angeles, Fires, and Undocumented Uncertainty
As I write this the air around me is poison. A devastating mixture of toxins, debris, and ash fills my lungs right now. With each breath, I inhale particles of my neighbors’ homes, lives, memories.
I’m breathing in a Los Angeles that no longer exists.
Of course, it’s not just the air that poses a toxic threat in Los Angeles.
Less than a day after I watched the Eaton Canyon fire set much of my community ablaze and forced the emergency evacuation of thousands of individuals, posts online circulated warning community members about immigration-related sweeps. From verified accounts of the presence of ICE in Kern County to online concern about purported immigration checks in Pasadena, in the thick of immediate displacement from the fires, panic was mixed with trepidation about where to safely meet family needs.
To be clear, ICE-related raids are inhumane at any time. To transpire during one of the worst crises we’ve encountered is unfathomable. Adding fear and uncertainty on top of the present concerns related to climate catastrophe can and will have deadly consequences: individuals needing care may forgo life-saving resources. This pernicious toxic cloud—of fear, of racism, of disinformation—has been hovering over all of the U.S. for years.
“To be clear, ICE-related raids are inhumane at any time. To transpire during one of the worst crises we’ve encountered is unfathomable.”
Checking on my home and neighborhood on Thursday, after two days of continuous (and still unabating) fires, I was struck by a particular juxtaposition. Alongside the ongoing echoes of sirens from emergency services, the streets rang with the familiar presence of gardeners and construction workers. Without homeowners checking in on their well-being and making sure they took time off, many immigrant laborers did not take days off, even when immediate health and safety requirements compelled everyone else to do so.
These outdoor workers were just a few of the myriad immigrant workers that showed up. Immigrant firefighters and volunteers from across the country have worked around the clock to help in myriad capacities over the past week. Further, based on prior reporting around climate-related disaster relief, it will likely be immigrant labor that cleans up the lasting structural debris once the fires are finally extinguished.
It is a bitter irony that immigrants will be the ones to rebuild Los Angeles at the same time that Trump is poised to implement “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” when he is inaugurated next week.
Times of crisis can bring out the absolute best in humanity. We’ve seen myriad large-scale efforts to signal boost mutual aid needs from our community; if you have the means to provide financial support for individuals, please do so.
Preying on the Immigrant Wildfire Victims
Already vulnerable communities remain the most vulnerable during times of crisis. And so, while there have been abundant forms of support for victims of the ongoing impacts of the fires in LA, immigrant communities are most likely to be adversely impacted by:
Misinformation – particularly concerns about how one’s immigration status affects their access to basic needs like shelter.
Immediate health and safety tied to work – particularly fear about losing employment opportunities if work is missed during
Lack of access to resources – city, school, and library resources closed during this crisis have ongoing impact on the day-to-day lives of working-class communities. With local schools closed for the foreseeable future, many families are put in a double-bind of requiring both work and childcare.
This is undoubtedly a heavy time for many of us reeling from loss and trauma. Even if you were not directly affected by these fires, the air you breathe knows no borders.
Soon, the air I am breathing here in Pasadena—toxic and heavy with the losses of others—will be yours. As we all collectively breathing in the ash of someone else’s yesterdays, how will you lend support?
[Note: no propina today – we’ll be back with some regular programming on Thursday.]
Pasadena is my adopted hometown. My heart is broken. Great piece. ✌🏽