They cleaned Ground Zero after 9/11. Now they're dodging ICE
If risking life and lungs to clear the nation's biggest tragedy didn't earn someone safe status, nothing will.
Right after the twin towers came down, thousands of laborers rushed in with basic masks and shovels to dig through pulverized concrete, asbestos, and jet fuel fumes. They did the work nobody else wanted to touch, wrecking their respiratory systems and carrying heavy trauma ever since.
Decades later, instead of lifetime gratitude or secure status, many of these Ground Zero cleanup crews are living in constant fear of deportation by ICE.
Sacrificing health for the country apparently only came with a temporary pass to stay hidden in the shadows.
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