Even as the devastating fires in Los Angeles continue to burn, leaving a trail of destruction, stories are emerging about the role immigrants are playing in recovery efforts from what is likely the worst disaster in California history.

Some are calling them, “second responders.”

“The guys (day laborers) are already out helping because there aren’t enough city personnel,” says Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of LA (CHIRLA). “They are going through the streets, helping people cut down their trees and get them off the roads.”

But Salas and others worry about the exploitation many of these workers face.

“It’s something they always go through,” she notes. “They go, clean up, and rebuild, and all of a sudden, it’s no pay, entry into toxic zones with no protection, and contractors hiring subcontractors and day laborers with no guarantees.”…

A majority of essential workers in construction and disaster cleanup, critical to recovery in communities like Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and elsewhere affected by the fires, are immigrants. Many are undocumented or have temporary permission…

Since then, natural disasters linked to climate change have multiplied, with immigrant workers the backbone of what has become a multi-billion-dollar, post-disaster recovery industry financed by both the government and insurance companies…