Fear Prevails : Amnesty Law Takes Toll on Day Laborers

Leroy S. Fikes has seen a lot of changes in 25 years of frequenting the corner of Pico Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, one of scores of day-labor pickup spots across Los Angeles County that serve as employment agencies of last resort for thousands of men in search of work.

He has seen the vacant lots fill with mini-malls and fast-food restaurants. Fikes has also seen the complexion of the scores of laborers who show up in search of work early each morning change from white to black and, in recent years, to brown as the numbers of Mexican and Central American immigrants has grown.

Change again is in the air, this time due to the immigration reform law.

The sweeping legislation, which grants legal status to some illegal immigrants but also imposes penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, has begun to take its toll at some of the corners.

50% Drop in Activity

Several workers, as well as merchants and employers at Pico and La Brea, agreed this week that employment activity at the usually busy corner has dropped as much as 50% in recent days. Activity at several other street-labor spots across Los Angeles, however, appeared as brisk as usual one recent morning.

But at a number of places, workers said that some employers, mostly building contractors and gardeners who drive by in search of workers, have begun to ask for “green cards,” or proof of legal residence, before giving them work. They also complained that some employers have gone back to paying only the minimum for jobs that normally pay from $5 to $7 an hour.

Immigration and Naturalization Service spokesman Jose Flanders maintains that the numbers of both workers and employers have slackened off “substantially” since the beginning of the year.

Fear and Confusion

Immigrant advocates contend that workers have stayed away from some of the corners because of “generalized fear” over the new law. The INS does not plan to cite employers for hiring illegal workers until June 1, and then only for those employees who do not appear eligible for amnesty. However, fear and confusion remain the rule.

“We know a lot of guys who’ve gone back to their countries,” said Rudy, a Central American youth who asked that his full name not be used. “All of us are worried that la migra (Spanish slang for the INS) will fall on us at any moment.”

At labor pickup spots in the San Fernando Valley, however, where workers and merchants said the crowds were as large as usual, several workers said they had no intention of leaving the country.

“Why should I go running back now? No one knows what is going to happen yet,” said Margarito Garcia, who like most of the street-pool laborers is ineligible for amnesty since he arrived in the United States after the 1982 cutoff point. He was standing at a corner in Van Nuys.

Jose Duarte, waiting for work at a hiring spot in nearby Canoga Park, said: “As long as I can get work, pay my rent and feed my family, I will stay here. I haven’t heard of anyone returning to Mexico yet. I will stay as long as I can.”

Still others, like Samuel, a man from Honduras who frequents the corner of Pico and La Brea and who recalled torture sessions at the hands of authorities back home because of his union organizing activities, said he is not worried.

“After the suffering I’ve known, la migra doesn’t scare me,” he said. “If they throw me out, I’ll be back across the border tomorrow.”

Expected to Continue

More optimistic about the future than most of his fellow workers, Samuel predicted that despite the law, contractors will continue to drive by the corners in their pickup trucks in search of workers.

“They need us as much as we need them,” he said. “They aren’t at great risk since they only hire us by the day.”

Simon Lee, manager at a building supply store at the same corner, tended to agree.

“There are tons of contractors who hire these guys for $40 a day,” he said. “If they want to hire Americans, they’re going to have to pay $15 an hour.”

Roberto, a gardener who frequently uses the street labor pool to hire laborers, said he is not worried.

“While there’s a way to work with these guys, we’ll keep doing it,” he said. He also said he began working as a day laborer at the corner pools when he first arrived in the United States about a decade ago. Now he is looking forward to gaining legal status through amnesty.

Not all workers who frequent the street pools are in the country illegally. Some are legal residents and some, like veteran laborer Fikes, are U.S. citizens. Some have turned to the street corners to make ends meet after losing permanent jobs.

Some of them look upon the illegal workers as competitors who tend to depress wages.

“I feel like they’re cutting me out of work,” said Willy Jones, 35, who stood with Fikes and a small group of other American citizens. He added, however, that he did not like to see the fear that the new immigration law has unleashed. “Everybody’s human,” he said.

Staff writers Stephen Braun, Stephanie Chavez, David Holley and Lois Timnick contributed to this article.