Immigrants’ Eviction May Be Postponed

The future seemed gloomy for hundreds of migrant laborers when a fire raged through their encampment in San Diego’s Rancho Penasquitos area in November.

Besides destroying dozens of squatter dwellings, the blaze drew considerable attention to what is perhaps the county’s largest concentration of migrant laborers. That notoriety, prompting city pressure for a cleanup, seemed a presage to eviction of the workers, who live illegally on private property.

Now, however, San Diego city officials say all sides are moving toward an interim solution that would allow migrants to remain on the land for the immediate future--if basic health and safety standards are maintained. City authorities, the landowner and migrant advocates have discussed the camp’s status in recent weeks.

“I think we’ve got to recognize that kicking people out and just having them move into another area is not the solution,” said Jack McGrory, assistant San Diego city manager.

If evicted from the encampment, residents say they would relocate in another canyon, playing out a scenario that has occurred numerous times in northern San Diego County, where migrant camps have proliferated and a number have been razed. At the bustling Rancho Penasquitos camp, rebuilding and a massive cleanup continue. Residents are planning a ceremony to rename the area El Fenix, or the Phoenix, after the mythical bird that rose from ashes.

“I hope this is the beginning of a lot of good things for the people living there,” said Gina Velazquez, a longtime volunteer with the fieldworker outreach program of nearby Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, which has provided considerable assistance to camp residents.

City officials say they are working to ensure that health and safety standards are in force on the sprawling grounds, which actually include several camps spread over several dozen acres of rolling brush. Among other things, the city is requiring a steady supply of drinking water, portable toilets and a trash storage and removal system. Another requirement is that campfires be at least 15 feet from dwellings.

“We’re talking about some minimal standards,” said Michael Kemp, city deputy director of housing inspection.

How the improvements will be implemented and financed remains uncertain, although camp residents have cleaned up the site considerably and indicated a willingness to do more. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church representatives have also pledged assistance, as has the Rev. Rafael Martinez, who heads the Encinitas-based North County Chaplaincy, a migrant advocacy group.

Both city authorities and the landowners’ representative now say that eviction of the migrants is unlikely in the near future. “I’m just going to let things lie and be quiet for a while,” said Robert Scarcia, a Carlsbad resident who, along with his brother and brother-in-law, owns a 78-acre parcel that encompasses most of the encampment. However, they acknowledged that any agreement will be temporary. And workers will remain in substandard housing amid the suburban prosperity of North County.

The ultimate solution--legal, permanent housing--remains elusive, especially because little government money is available to build such structures. Area employers have expressed little interest in providing housing for their work force of migrants, who typically earn minimum wage.

“Obviously, there’s a socioeconomic problem that has contributed to this situation, and I don’t expect that it’s going to go away that quickly,” said McGrory, the assistant city manager.

In North County, thousands of homeless immigrant laborers live without shelter in canyons and river bottoms. The workers, mostly Mexican men, are unable to afford area housing. The Rancho Penasquitos encampment, in McGonigle Canyon, just off Black Mountain Road, is one of the area’s most expansive, if not its largest, such encampment. During peak seasons, as many as 500 people live there; most leave each morning in search of day labor, returning after work.

While Scarcia, the landowner, indicated that migrants would likely remain on his property until the end of the year, he made it clear that the residents would eventually have to leave. He has posted “No Trespassing” signs. He also said that he would decline to sign any formal accord committing him to a lease or any agreement making him liable for mishaps or accidents on the property.

“I’ll cooperate with the city and the people as much as I can,” said Scarcia, who city officials and even some migrant advocates have described as reasonable and patient. “We’re all human beings. But I don’t want to be taken advantage of.”