I grew up in L.A., and yes, immigrants built it

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the pictures and videos coming out of Los Angeles. The protests, the police, the chaos. If you’re not from there, it might look like something out of a movie. But for those of us who grew up in L.A., it’s painful to watch. It feels like the soul of the city is tearing at the seams.

I moved from L.A. to Cyprus back in 2006, what I like to call a “love immigrant.” My husband’s Greek Cypriot, and I followed my heart here. But Los Angeles will always be home. And what’s happening there now breaks my heart.

L.A. has always been a city of immigrants. People from everywhere. Mexican, Filipino, Korean, Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Armenian, Iranian...the list goes on. It’s what makes the city beautiful, chaotic, and alive.

Yes, we’ve all heard the complaints over the years: too much traffic, too many people, too many immigrants. But let’s be honest, who’s trimming hedges in Beverly Hills? Who’s fixing roofs in Pasadena or laying tile in Orange County? Living in Beverly Hills and going to Beverly Hills High, I noticed that the landscapers at school were Mexican, just like the gardeners, housekeepers, and painters at many of my friends’ homes. It was simply a part of everyday life. Every perfectly trimmed hedge and manicured lawn? Thank a Mexican worker. Walk into a hospital, and chances are the nurse at your bedside is Filipino. The system runs on immigrants. It always has.

Now, people are being rounded up by immigration officials, and it’s gone beyond anything I remember seeing. I get it; Trump says it’s about removing those with criminal records. That makes sense in theory. Even here in Cyprus, I almost got arrested for overstaying my visa. (Totally by accident, thanks to my then-fiancé-turned-husband, who swore he’d sorted it. Spoiler: he hadn’t.) I left, came back, and fixed it legally.

But what’s happening in L.A. feels different. It’s not about fixing the system; it’s about making people afraid. You can’t send ICE into schools or go door to door like it’s a witch hunt. And now? Trump’s not just sending immigration officers. He’s calling in the National Guard. The Marines. The Marines! Does anyone really believe that will calm things down?

Of course people are protesting. Of course they’re in the streets. But like Mayor Bass said, not everyone out there has good intentions. Some are just looking for a fight. And I’ll be honest—when I see people at those protests waving Mexican flags, or in one case, even a Chinese flag, I get frustrated. Why not wave the American flag? Why give the other side fuel to say, “See? They’re not one of us.” It doesn’t help.

California was built by immigrants. It’s the biggest economy in the U.S., maybe even the fourth largest in the world. And that didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people came there from all over the planet, rolled up their sleeves, and made a life. From the westward expansion (which, yes, tragically pushed out Native Americans) to the tech boom, to the hospitals and homes being run and cleaned and maintained today, it’s always been the same story. Immigrants built it.

Now L.A. is about to host the World Cup. Then the Olympics. The world will be watching. What will they see? A state cracking down on the very people who keep it running? Or a place that lives up to its promise of opportunity and fairness?

I don’t have the answers. I just know that when I see the images of my hometown now, I barely recognize it. And that hurts. Because the L.A. I knew was far from perfect, but it had room for everyone.