Altadena ICE raid highlights fears that roundups will stymie rebuilding efforts
When ICE agents raided the construction site of a burned property in Altadena earlier this month, they made no arrests.The man they were after was not there.
But the mere specter of them returning spooked the workers enough to bring the project to a temporary halt.The next day, half of the 12-man team stayed home.The crew returned to full strength by the end of the week, but they now work in fear, according to Brock Harris, a real estate agent representing the developer of the property.
“It had a chilling effect,” he said.“They’re instilling fear in the workers trying to rebuild L.A.”Harris said another developer in the area started camouflaging his construction sites: hiding Porta Potties, removing construction fences and having workers park far away and carpool to the site so as not to attract attention.The potential of widespread immigration raids at construction sites looms ominously over Los Angeles County’s prospects of rebuilding after the two most destructive fires in its history.A new report by the UCLA Anderson Forecast said that roundups could hamstring the colossal undertaking to reconstruct the 13,000 homes that were wiped away in Altadena and Pacific Palisades on Jan.
7 — and exacerbate the housing crisis by stymieing new construction statewide.“Deportations will deplete the construction workforce,” the report said.“The loss of workers installing drywall, flooring, roofing and the like will directly diminish the level of production.” The consequences will spread far beyond those who are deported, the report said.
Many of the undocumented workers who manage to avoid ICE will be forced to withdraw from the labor force.Their specialties are often crucial to getting projects completed, potentially harming the fortunes of remaining workers who can’t finish jobs without their help.
Business President Trump’s trade war and recent immigration raids are expected to deliver a one-two punch to California’s economy.“The producti...