{"id":1,"date":"2025-04-25T18:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T18:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/?p=1"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:57:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:57:33","slug":"hello-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/2025\/04\/25\/hello-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Backbone of the Kitchen: Immigrants in the Food and Restaurant Industry Under Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experiences of undocumented kitchen workers and the employers who stand beside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arturo wakes up at 5 a.m. every morning to prepare for his shift at a small family-owned restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. After over a decade of working as a line cook, he finally saved enough to open his own establishment. But lately, fear and uncertainty have started to sour the daily rhythm of his kitchen. Rumors of immigration raids circulate among staff, and several cooks have stopped showing up to work altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Arturo and thousands of undocumented restaurant workers, the risk of deportation is more than a legal concern, a daily burden. It\u2019s the pressure behind every paycheck, the silence behind every overworked shift, and the invisible weight they carry while feeding a nation that often fails to see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Workforce America Relies On<\/strong> But Rarely Acknowledges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These workers typically hold back-of-house positions: line cooks, dishwashers, prep workers, and bussers. These roles that demand long hours and physical stamina for low wages and few protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe restaurant industry depends on immigrant labor in ways that policymakers don\u2019t always acknowledge,\u201d says Dr. Angelo Amador, an immigration policy expert. \u201cWhen enforcement ramps up, it doesn\u2019t just hurt workers, it disrupts the very businesses they help build.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Legal and labor experts warn that current immigration crackdowns, especially under the Trump administration\u2019s return to power, are producing unintended and harmful consequences: labor shortages, wage theft, and an undercurrent of fear that impacts everyone, from the workers to the customers they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe Are Not Afraid\u201d: Picaresca Caf\u00e9 and the Power of Place<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tucked in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood known for its rich immigrant history and working-class roots, Picaresca Caf\u00e9<\/strong> stands as more than a coffee shop. It\u2019s a beacon of resistance, resilience, and radical community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded during the height of the pandemic by partners Elisa and 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 caf\u00e9 and kitchen that are run largely by undocumented workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe weren\u2019t visible at first,\u201d Elisa said. \u201cBut the community found us. They embraced us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.
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\u201cThese workers are the hardest working people I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d Elisa shared. \u201cThey clean grease traps, prep everything from scratch, and come in even when they\u2019re exhausted from working two jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Elisa and Leo don\u2019t just provide employment. They\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cStill, we\u2019ve lost workers. People are scared,\u201d Elisa admitted. \u201cBut the community keeps us going. Activists bring flyers, artists donate posters, customers remind us we\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“Know Your Rights” flyers were hung within the restaurant by community activists. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Juan\u2019s Journey: \u201cIf We Focus on the Sadness, We Won\u2019t Keep Going\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Juan C., 24, arrived in Los Angeles from Puebla, Mexico in early 2023, chasing the American Dream, a dream that felt distant when he spent four months knocking on kitchen doors for under-the-table work. His only previous job was in a denim factory back home, sewing jeans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t even know how to hold a pan,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to learn everything from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Now, Juan works mornings at Picaresca Caf\u00e9 and nights at a seafood restaurant clocking in at 7 a.m. and sometimes finishing as late as 2 a.m. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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His journey wasn\u2019t without pain. He recalls spraining his leg while crossing the desert. His family begged him to turn back. \u201cBut I had already made the decision. I had to try,\u201d he said. Juan misses his mother, his grandmother who raised him, and his nieces whom he calls his \u201cown daughters.\u201d
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\u201cMy mom sometimes cries on the phone,\u201d he said. \u201cI tell her everything\u2019s okay, even when it\u2019s not. If we focus on the sadness, we won\u2019t be able to keep going. So we keep going (\u00e9chale ganas).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


He says he feels lucky to be at Picaresca. The team educated him and others about their rights and made him feel protected. \u201cIt feels good to be around others who understand you,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not treated like we\u2019re less than.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe sacrifice because we know what it took to get here,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we work so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Victor Narro: \u201cWhen Enforcement Goes Up, Exploitation Goes Up\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong> against workers who speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s major wage theft in small and mid-sized restaurants, especially those run by and employing immigrants,\u201d Narro explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorkers are told to clock out and keep cleaning. Tips are stolen. Breaks are skipped. And when someone complains? They get fired.\u201d
<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He warned that under Trump\u2019s 2024 administration, ICE\u2019s workplace authority is expanding and restaurants are a clear target. \u201cThey\u2019re public-facing,\u201d he said. \u201cICE can walk in the front door. Many owners don\u2019t know they can legally stop them from entering the back of house without a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This climate of fear discourages workers from reporting abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen immigration enforcement goes up, exploitation goes up,\u201d Narro said. \u201cEmployers know they have leverage. They know undocumented workers are scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And while California has better protections than other states, Narro says retaliation remains a major problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou file a wage claim, and it takes two to three years to resolve. Workers don\u2019t have that kind of time. So they leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He encourages collective action filing complaints together, joining worker centers, and refusing to suffer in silence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou\u2019re safer when you stand together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From Despair to Resistance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fear, Narro sees glimmers of hope especially in communities like Boyle Heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Homeland Security showed up in LA recently, people poured into the streets,\u201d he said. \u201cThey yelled. They filmed. They made ICE so uncomfortable, they haven\u2019t been back since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also credited young journalists and digital media for exposing stories mainstream outlets avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s students and freelancers who are doing the brave reporting,\u201d he told me. \u201cThe big guys? They\u2019re too scared to confront power. But we need that confrontation. That\u2019s how you stop a bully.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Advocacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Nonprofit, Sanctuary Restaurants <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May Day with CHIRLA and Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Perspective <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wage theft <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threats<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working Conditions <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Hours <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A Future Worth Fighting For<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Elisa and her team, the dream doesn\u2019t stop with survival. They hope to open a roastery, offer health insurance to their staff, and pay a livable wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re growing, and our people should grow with us,\u201d Elisa said. \u201cThey helped build this caf\u00e9. They deserve dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Arturo, it is simply having the space for community. I’ve offered many of my employees a place to stay, provided them with extra food, and resources I know help my people.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Juan, the goal is to one day return to Puebla and start a business of his own, to build a home and take care of the grandmother who raised him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t get to study,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m learning every day. I\u2019m building something with my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And for advocates like Victor Narro, the message is clear: immigrants are essential, and it\u2019s time the law and society recognized that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey are the backbone of the kitchen. Of the economy. Of our communities,\u201d Narro said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t fight for them, we all lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Whether these efforts lead to policy change or simply create pockets of safety like Picaresca, one thing is certain: undocumented workers are not invisible. They are here. They are vital. And they are holding up the very tables we eat at every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Docu-Video] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experiences of undocumented kitchen workers and the employers who stand beside them. Arturo wakes up at 5 a.m. every morning to prepare for his shift at a small family-owned restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. After over a decade of working as a line cook, he finally saved enough to open his own establishment. But lately, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2025\/alexavhe\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}