Erwin, 31, from San Marcos, Guatemala, came to the U.S. in early 2020 seeking better opportunities and worked as a tractor driver at a recycling plant, earning $1,400 per week and sending money home to his wife and two children. After his employer discovered his fake Social Security card and fired him, and as ICE raids intensified across Los Angeles, he lost his apartment and now sleeps in an abandoned wagon in South Los Angeles, seeking day labor work at Home Depot stores despite the constant threat of detention. He visits two churches daily for food and has been unable to find steady employment, contemplating self-deportation as his situation worsens. More than 500 day laborers have been detained by ICE in Los Angeles since 2025 according to the National Day Laborer Network.