Thursday, January 8, 2026

Pasadena Groups Join Immigrant Workers Marking Wildfire Anniversary With Call for Safety, Protections

Immigrant day laborers who helped clear debris, deliver emergency aid, and restore homes after the Los Angeles wildfires one year ago will gather in neighboring Altadena on Friday for a press conference and day of service, an event organizers say underscores both their essential role in rebuilding and the ongoing threats they face from ICE enforcement. The announcement comes from a press statement issued by participating organizations.

The gathering marks one year since the L.A. wildfires and will highlight demands for full protections for workers doing dangerous remediation work, accountability from insurance companies and corporations that continue to profit while working-class families are left behind, and an immediate end to immigration enforcement in disaster-impacted communities. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the Pasadena Community Job Center, Fire Poppy Project, the DENA Soil Project, Community Compound, SoilWise, Evolve Altadena and Metabolic Studio — all working on Altadena Earth Commons — are organizing the event.

“Rebuilding will happen, and it is impossible to do it without migrant labor,” said Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). “Yet while our labor is welcomed, our rights are not respected. Workers moved from fire to ICE. You cannot call on immigrant workers to rebuild while terrorizing them at the same time.”

Enji Chung, co-founder of the Fire Poppy Project and the Dena Soil Project, said, “The rebuild is both about our physical reconstruction and an affirmation of a future that includes of all of our people — disabled, renter, elder, immigrant, worker including the land — healthy, safe, and free. We know we face a daunting challenge with the ongoing health risks workers and residents alike face without comprehensive cleanup.”

Organizers emphasized that the event, titled “From Fire to ICE: Immigrant Workers Rebuild, Resist, and Lead Forward,” is intended to spotlight both the contributions of immigrant workers and the conditions they continue to face during recovery efforts.

The press conference begins at 8:15 a.m. Friday, January 9, at Altadena Earth Commons, 1045 E. Dolores Drive, in Altadena, followed by remediation work. While the event schedule lists a half-day of remediation, organizers also note that the morning press conference will be followed by an all-day soil bioremediation work with over 70 immigrant workers and community members on site.

The event will feature immigrant day laborers and environmental and neighborhood leaders.