Deporting the “la” out of LA
by Thomas Gill on July 29, 2008 in Blog
Following Hurricane Katrina, the message on Spanish radio stations throughout the southern U.S. was clear: “There is plenty of work on the Gulf Coast. Please go there and be a part of the rebuilding.” Also, on September 6, 2005, just days after the storm hit, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was suspending certain labor regulations for a 45-day period. Employers would not be required to confirm the identity of employees. DHS then lifted wage restrictions for two months in order to allow contractors to pay lower wages to the workers that would rebuild the city. The result was an influx of Latino workers needed to help rebuild New Orleans. It is widely accepted in New Orleans today that Latinos did a substantial amount of the reconstruction that enabled later flows of people to return to the city .
