As families self-deport, these neighbors are stepping in to care for pets left behind

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on July 23, 2025.

For about a month, Stefany Escamilla-Botello has been fostering three small kittens — Edward, Bella and Jasper — named after characters from one of her favorite movies, “Twilight.”

An animal lover, Escamilla-Botello, of East Los Angeles, has fostered before. She also has two cats of her own and has donated to local efforts that care for community cats on the Eastside.

But this particular kitten trio came with a unique sense of urgency.

The kittens are part of a colony of community cats left behind after their longtime caretaker saw no other choice but to move to Mexico as immigration raids escalated across L.A.

“When I heard that the caretaker had self-deported, it definitely broke my heart. I definitely saw the importance of taking them in,” Escamilla-Botello said.

Animal care providers have reported a noticeable uptick of pets left behind since immigration raids began across L.A. in early June. But it’s not just enforcement that’s separating families from their animals.

Some undocumented families are also choosing to leave the country voluntarily, forcing them to make tough decisions about their pets. When possible, they try to travel with their animals; if not, they seek help from local resources.

That’s where neighbors and animal care providers are stepping in.

Stefany Escamilla-Botello has been caring for three cats left behind after their longtime caretaker self-deported.

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Susanica Tam

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Marisol Ramos, who coordinates a network of volunteers that care for community cats in Boyle Heights and East L.A., helped find a foster — Escamilla-Botello — for the cats left behind after their caretaker moved to Mexico. Ramos also helps feed a different set of cat colonies the woman once looked after.

As the woman prepared to leave Boyle Heights, she didn’t want to completely abandon her community of outdoor cats, Ramos said. She had been living in the U.S. for several years and no longer wanted to live in fear.

“In some way, she had some control of the situation, [saying] ‘I can plan this out,’” Ramos said.

That meant having Ramos help find new cat caretakers, and guide her through securing a medical certificate so her 12-year-old cat could travel with her across the border.

Ramos said the need for support is even greater during kitten season — the time of year when cats are most fertile and shelters are flooded with kittens.

“But now you add people who are having to leave their pets or community cats behind and trying to troubleshoot who can take over,” Ramos said. “It’s hard because it is expensive to feed all these cats in the street and people’s personal cats.”

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Susanica Tam

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Susanica Tam

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Susanica Tam

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Boyle Heights Beat

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The issue has prompted L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis to direct staff to explore expanding the county’s pet foster program and to make room for more pets left behind due to immigration enforcement.

According to her directive, “pets are being found in empty apartments and homes due to their owners being taken by federal agents.” While collecting data on this issue is difficult, the county noted that the Department of Animal Care and Control “has begun to track the impact of the mass deportations on animals being accepted at their facilities.”

This “man-made crisis,” notes Solis, “will add to the number of animals that will lose their lives to make room for more animals to be taken in.”

Since June 10, at least 15 dogs have been relinquished to the county’s Department of Animal Care and Control as a result of their owners being deported. The dogs came from Palmdale, Compton, Lennox, Covina and La Puente.

“There may be other pets in the community that may need help,” the county’s Department of Animal Care and Control said in a recent news release.

For Escamilla-Botello, an administrative assistant at East Los Angeles College, fostering is a way to be proactive during a political climate she finds depressing and heartbreaking.

She doesn’t feel comfortable protesting against the immigration raids, but caring for someone else’s animals feels like a tangible way “to help my community,” she said.

“I just really hope that the caretaker knows that her kittens are okay,” she added. “I would just want to know that my own kittens, or my own cats would be okay.”