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IMMIGRATION - Today, as the City of Los Angeles faces new challenges and uncertainties, I believe the immigrant experience—with all its hardships and hopes—is not only central to my story, but to the ongoing story of this country. Having arrived in Los Angeles as an immigrant from Greece, I see today’s uncertainty as another chapter in our city’s ongoing journey.
The June 2025 protests in Los Angeles closely echo the city’s long history of minority-driven protest and civil unrest. Like past events, these demonstrations are sparked by aggressive federal immigration enforcement—specifically, large-scale ICE raids targeting workplaces and public spaces in immigrant-rich neighborhoods. Previous protests have drawn thousands from LA’s diverse, largely Latino and immigrant communities, such as the mass marches in 2006 and 2007 and previous clashes over sanctuary policies. Once again, downtown LA becomes the stage for reaction to fears of deportation and anger at perceived federal overreach, highlighting our city’s enduring role as a national center for immigrant rights activism.
Yet, 2025 stands out for the federal response: President Trump’s unprecedented deployment of the National Guard and then Marines to Los Angeles without California Governor Newsom’s consent—a move not seen in California since the 1960s. This escalation has sharply divided state and federal authorities, with local leaders condemning the intervention as a breach of state sovereignty and as a deliberately inflammatory stunt. While the core issues remain rooted in immigration and community defense, the scale and nature of federal intervention mark a significant and controversial departure from previous episodes.
My own story began in the 1940s amid the devastation of Nazi occupation and civil war, where scarcity and hardship were daily realities. That experience taught me to value dignity, resilience, and the power of community, lessons that have shaped my entire view of Los Angeles and its promise. As I have written in my recent book, The Making of Modern Los Angeles, I have seen firsthand how Los Angeles, a true city of immigrants, thrives when it invests in public works, embraces its multicultural heritage, and demands ethical leadership.
Early struggles taught me to value dignity, resilience, and empathy, and I have carried these lessons into decades of work building the infrastructure of Los Angeles and forging coalitions across ethnic and social lines. The city’s transformation into a world-class metropolis is not just about skyscrapers and public transit, but about the collective journey of its people—immigrants and natives alike—who, by participating in civic life and honoring their roots, create a vibrant, inclusive, and ever-evolving urban tapestry.
Reflecting about today’s Los Angeles, I am struck by the city’s enduring complexity and its capacity for reinvention. We are grappling with profound challenges: economic inequality, housing shortages, and the tensions of demographic change. These are not new struggles. When I first arrived, Los Angeles was already a city of migrants—Black families from the South, Mexican Americans seeking opportunity, and, like me, newcomers from across the globe. Together, we built a city defined by diversity and ambition.
Our recent wildfires and now this recent unrest suggest to me how Los Angeles stands at a pivotal moment, much as it did after World War II. Back then, explosive growth often left communities of color and immigrants on the margins. Today, the stakes are just as high. Our city’s fabric is being tested by economic pressures, debates over public space, and the urgent need for civic leadership that can bridge divides. I have seen how coalitions—across race, ethnicity, and class—can transform politics and open doors that were once tightly shut. The story of Los Angeles is the story of these alliances, forged in the crucible of struggle and hope.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented crossroads. The future of Los Angeles depends on renewing our commitment to participatory democracy and to building and planning for everyone in our city. My journey from Athens to the heart of Los Angeles is a testament to how a young Greek immigrant can help shape the story of a modern metropolis. Along the way, I have worked, as have so many others, to ensure that the American promise—a promise of opportunity, justice, and inclusion—is kept for all.
The crossroads metaphor resonates deeply with me. Los Angeles is always at a crossroads, always choosing between insularity and openness, between short-term gain and long-term investment in the common good. My hope is that we will once again choose the harder, more generous path: to invest in each other, to build coalitions that reflect our shared destiny, and to remember that the journey itself—full of adversity, discovery, and growth—is what truly defines us.
I extend my invitation to Angelenos and to everyone to choose unity, vision, and compassion, knowing that the true reward lies not just in reaching our destination, but in the wisdom and strength we gain along the way. In the end, as the Greek poet Cavafy wrote, it is the journey to our own Ithaka that matters most. Our collective journey is far from over.
(Nick Patsaouras is a Greek-born engineer, civic leader, and longtime advocate for public service in Los Angeles. He is the author of The Making of Modern Los Angeles, which chronicles his journey from a poor neighborhood in Athens to the heart of LA’s civic transformation. Over half a century, Nick has played a pivotal role in shaping the city’s infrastructure, public transit, and inclusive civic culture.)
