9/11 cleanup workers now fear deportation

In New York City, a group of immigrants in their 50s and 60s, many undocumented, meet weekly. They first connected 25 years ago while cleaning up the debris from the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center.

These workers, numbering possibly between 2,000 and 6,000, rushed to Ground Zero and were exposed to toxic materials and psychological trauma.

Many came from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Mexico, often hired through a chain of subcontractors after responding to ads for day labor. The workers performed dangerous tasks with minimal protection, like paper masks and rubber gloves, and have since suffered a range of health problems. Over 57,000 cancer cases and other conditions have been linked to the toxic debris released by the towers’ collapse.

Despite their contributions, a legislative effort to grant these undocumented workers a path to citizenship, the 9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act, has stalled in the House Judiciary Committee since it was first introduced in 2017. Now, as immigration enforcement increases, these same workers live with renewed fear of deportation. Rosa Bramble Caballero, a social worker supporting the group, notes many are afraid to even apply for worker’s compensation they are entitled to.

Lucelly, one of the workers, explained she is afraid to visit her daughter in New Jersey, and feels betrayed that those who once valued her labor now pose a threat to her safety. They face a difficult choice: return home and risk losing access to healthcare, or remain in the U.S. under the constant threat of being detained by ICE.