In Los Angeles, undocumented restaurant workers are the backbone of a thriving food scene, but under the Trump administration, their livelihoods are under threat. As ICE raids spread across the city, some restaurant employers are taking a stand to protect the very workers who keep them running.
The names of a source and businesses in this article were changed to protect their identities and prevent potential retaliation.
(Photo by Alexa Hernandez Diaz for USC Annenberg)
At 6:00 a.m., Juan C., 24, wakes up to begin the first of his two daily shifts. He arrives at The Café in Boyle Heights a few minutes before opening to help with prep work by slicing, organizing, and getting the kitchen ready for the morning rush. In the evenings, he puts on an apron again, this time as a line cook at a bustling seafood restaurant, most times working until 2:00 a.m.
Juan arrived in Los Angeles from Puebla, Mexico, in early 2023, with the hope of supporting his grandmother in Mexico and saving enough to start a something of their own, business that would support them. This goal seemed distant when he spent four months knocking on kitchen doors in search of under-the-table work. His only previous job was in Mexico, sewing jeans in a denim factory.
“I didn’t know how to hold a pan,” said Juan, “I had to learn everything from scratch.”
In just over a year, he saved $24,000 to pay back the coyote who helped him cross the border, often working seven days a week to do so.
His journey to America wasn’t easy. He recalls spraining his leg while crossing the desert. His family begged him to turn back. “But I had already made the decision. I had to try,” he said. Juan misses his grandmother, who raised him, and his nieces, whom he calls his “own daughters.”
“My mom sometimes cries on the phone and I tell her everything’s okay, even when it’s not. If we focus on the sadness, we won’t be able to keep going. So we keep going (échale ganas).”
A Workforce America Relies On But Rarely Acknowledges
Immigrants have long been the backbone of the U.S. restaurant industry. According to the National Restaurant Association, 21 percent of restaurant workers are immigrants, and a significant share of those workers are undocumented. Some estimates suggest nearly one million undocumented individuals are employed in restaurants across the country.
These workers typically hold back-of-house positions such as line cooks, dishwashers, prep workers, and bussers. These roles demand long hours and physical stamina for low wages and few protections.
“Many people are thinking about closing their businesses because… they are questioning, well, is this worth it?” said Juan Carranza, an economics expert and Director of Immigrant Entrepreneurship at the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC). The CVIIC organization supports immigrant communities in California through legal, economic, and technical assistance.
“We are having businesses and pop-up businesses and mobile vendors closing down their business operations and considering going back to Mexico with their entire family,” he added.
“Immigrants are not just part of the restaurant industry, they are its foundation. From the prep table to the cash register, their labor keeps kitchens running and communities fed, yet their contributions are too often overlooked in policy debates,” says Juan Carranza, Economy Expert and Director of Immigrant Entrepreneurship at the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative.
“There should not be any doubt about the contributions and the positive impact that these communities make in the United States… the majority of them are here to make a positive impact and contribution,” said Juan Carranza, CVIIC Director
“We Are Not Afraid”: the Power of Community
Tucked in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood known for its rich immigrant history and working-class roots, A Café stands as more than a café. It’s a beacon of resistance, resilience, and radical community.
Note: The real name of the restaurant has been withheld to protect the privacy of its owners and staff, who have requested anonymity due to ongoing immigration-related concerns.
Founded during the height of the pandemic by Elisa and her partner Leo, Picaresca was built with little savings but a deep love for community and culture. What started as a pop-up selling roasted coffee at local farmers markets has grown into a full café and kitchen that are run largely by undocumented workers.
“We weren’t visible at first, but the community found us. They embraced us.” Elisa said.
Their story is a testament to grassroots entrepreneurship. Elisa and Leo saved their stimulus checks and unemployment funds, roasted beans by hand, and collaborated with small chefs to host pop-ups. When they moved into a larger location in 2023, they hired a team of back-of-house staff who many of whom, like Juan, are undocumented immigrants from Latin America.
“These workers are the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” Elisa shared. “They clean grease traps, prep everything from scratch, and come in even when they’re exhausted from working two jobs.”
Elisa and Leo don’t just provide employment. They’ve hosted Know Your Rights workshops, hung posters in the kitchen and front of house, and spoken openly with staff about their rights and protections should ICE ever enter.
“Still, we’ve lost workers. People are scared but the community keeps us going. Activists bring flyers, artists donate posters, customers remind us we’re not alone.” -Picaresca Co-Owner, Elisa
With these flyers, owners are sending a message that they will stand up for the undocumented immigrant community. Elisa expresses her commitment to her unauthorized workers through these Know Your Rights posters and statements.
Victor Narro on Exploitation
Juan is just one out of the eleven million perspectives of undocumented individuals in the U.S. and 21 percent of restaurant workers (National Restaurant Association).
Victor Narro has spent the past 40 years fighting for workers like Juan. As Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, Narro has researched and exposed systemic abuses in the restaurant industry, including widespread wage theft, break violations, and retaliation against workers who speak up.
“There’s major wage theft in small and mid-sized restaurants, especially those run by and employing immigrants. Workers are told to clock out and keep cleaning. Tips are stolen. Breaks are skipped. And when someone complains? They get fired.”
La Guelaguetza Restaurant, Los Angeles, Photo by Alexa Hernandez Diaz for USC Annenberg)
“When immigration enforcement goes up, exploitation goes up. Employers know they have leverage. They know undocumented workers are scared,” says Victor Narro
Narro warned that under Trump’s 2024 administration, ICE’s workplace authority is expanding and restaurants are a clear target. “They’re public-facing,” he said. “ICE can walk in the front door. Many owners don’t know they can legally stop them from entering the back of house without a warrant.”
This climate of fear discourages workers from reporting abuse.
And while California has better protections than other states, Narro says retaliation remains a significant problem: “You file a wage claim, and it takes two to three years to resolve. Workers don’t have that kind of time. So they leave,” he says.
He encourages collective action such as filing complaints together, joining worker centers, and refusing to suffer in silence.
“You’re safer when you stand together.”
Despair to Resistance
Despite the fear, Narro sees glimmers of hope especially in communities like Boyle Heights.
“When Homeland Security showed up in LA recently, people poured into the streets,” he said. “They yelled. They filmed. They made ICE so uncomfortable, they haven’t been back since.”
He also credited young journalists and digital media for exposing stories mainstream outlets avoid.
“It’s students and freelancers who are doing the brave reporting. The big guys? They’re too scared to confront power. But we need that confrontation, that’s how you stop a bully.” -Victor Narro
Community Advocacy
Every year on the first of May, also referred to as May Day or International Workers’ Day, immigrant workers and allies take to the streets of Los Angeles to demand justice, visibility, and the dignity. The event is hosted by CHIRLA, The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, a coalition of people who support human rights that advocate towards policies that advance justice and full inclusion for all immigrants.
In Koreatown, the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) has long been at the forefront of this fight, championing the rights of immigrant restaurant workers, many of whom are undocumented and working under exploitative conditions. KIWA organizes year-round to combat wage theft, unsafe working environments, and retaliation against those who speak out.
Other grassroots groups include the ACLU of Southern California, the Food Chain Workers Alliance, and Food for Health that organize at the intersection of labor rights, immigration justice, and food system equity. Together, these coalitions offer legal support, policy advocacy, community education, and mutual aid for workers in back-of-house roles like dishwashing, line cooking, and food prep, the very foundation of the restaurant industry.
Click here to watch the Mayday Protest!
Juan C., says he feels lucky to be at The Café. The team educated him and others about their rights and made him feel protected. “It feels good to be around others who understand you,” he said. “We’re not treated like we’re less than.”
“We sacrifice so much because we know what it took to get here,” says Juan C., “That’s why we work so hard.”
While policymakers debate immigration reform from afar, it is grassroots organizations, worker alliances, and immigrant-run kitchens that are quietly and powerfully redefining what justice looks like. From Boyle Heights to the rest of California, undocumented restaurant workers and allies are organizing, building community, and fighting back against the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant policies. Together, they reveal how resilience and solidarity can shape a more inclusive society, even in the face of adversity.