Victory for the migrant community in Los Angeles County

This is the story of a victory for the migrant community in Los Angeles County, achieved thanks to the efforts of a broad coalition of community organizations, united to confront the urgency of the moment.

A victory that demonstrates, at a national level, that in these difficult times, community organizations that look after the interests of the people become the vanguard of the resistance. Less with the fury of protest and more with the tenacity and insistence on seeking practical solutions to practical problems, seeking allies, expanding their support base, and thinking about the struggles of the future.

In Los Angeles County

It is here, in Los Angeles County, where their existence and action take on importance. Because it is home—according to the 2020 census—to nearly two million Latinos, more than any other county in the country.

Here, the fires at the beginning of the year struck thousands of families from different backgrounds and social locations. And the COVID epidemic could infect anyone. But the attacks by immigration agents victimized migrant communities, especially Latinos. They have sown terror in families, to the point that they fear leaving their homes to go to work, to take their children to school, to buy basic food, let alone entertainment or recreation or to go to church.

In that situation, for many immigrant families, the danger of losing their homes or being evicted for non-payment of rent is present.

“Housing instability affects immigrants of all backgrounds, as families across the County struggle to pay rent and make ends meet,” Shannon Camacho, Senior Policy Associate at Inclusive Action for the City, a group that works to strengthen the population's financial resources, and one of the co-presidents of IRLA, told me.

IRLA – Immigrants Are LA – is a coalition formed in 2021, Originally to integrate immigrants into federal COVID-19 relief and to subsequently integrate them into the Los Angeles County budget process, Inclusive Action is on the IRLA steering committee.

“Immigrant communities in all five boroughs of Los Angeles County need resources and protections,Camacho added, “especially now, given the damaging effects of ICE raids.”

Therefore, and with the support of District 3 Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, community organizations brought this need up for debate and a vote at the September 2 meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Governors.

The motion, whose full text can be read here, specifies the problems faced by immigrants:

“Our region is bearing the brunt of aggressive federal immigration enforcement actions in our neighborhoods and workplaces, spreading fear and disrupting the life of our communities and the region's economy. Thousands of families have lost their main providers due to immigration raids; “Thousands more are afraid to go to work, school, and even the grocery store for fear of being detained.”

The motion would have provided nearly $20 million for Los Angeles families recovering from the fires but also “for migrant families destabilized by the federal government's immigration efforts.”

The activists were asking, explains Araceli Martinez-Ortega of La Opinion, for a one-time contribution of $5,000 for affected residents so they can pay their rent. Part of the aid would reach undocumented residents of Los Angeles County who suffered firsthand from kidnappings, disappearances, and arrests of their providers by immigration authorities.

That day, more than 40 representatives of Latino, African American, Filipino, Muslim, and LGBTQ groups submitted testimony in favor of the motion to expand the Emergency Rent Relief Program.

The Board rejects the motion

However, the Board rejected the motion, sending it to the cluster process. The rejection prompted a reaction from Horvath and the organizations supporting the measure.

“Too many families are on the brink of eviction, and today's vote means they are leaving without the relief they urgently need. Being married is a right, not a privilege," Horvath said. The Board's decision caused disappointment among thousands of Los Angeles families.

But in the following two weeks, the immigrant community and their supporters in the Los Angeles area united in a coordinated effort by IRLA to reverse the decision.

At the end of the September 16 meeting, the supervisors approved the plan by a unanimous 5-0 vote. The board even added an additional $10 million to the initially requested $20 million. It demonstrated that the county's migrant population is part of the Los Angeles community and no less deserving of attention and assistance, something important given the rollback of this type of support at the federal level.

Supervisor Hilda Solis, who joined Horsath in proposing the motion, celebrated the decision, saying, "Today's motion, more than just relief, will be a lifeline for many.We know that our residents, especially wildfire victims and those affected by immigration raids, are navigating an incredibly difficult year."

The maximum amount of assistance for tenants facing eviction for nonpayment was increased from $5,000 to $15,000.

The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) is in charge of implementing the program.

After the Decision

It was a victory for those who saw their mission as participating in decision-making mechanisms. This time, the needs of migrant families harmed by the raids have been at the center of decision-making in Los Angeles County.

Camacho said: “For us, it's not just about the nearly $20 million in rental protections. It's about a civic commitment of immigrants in action: families and community groups showing up in government spaces, speaking their truth, and directly shaping county policy.”

It's a fight in which Latinos play the role of pioneers and leaders.

What's next? “Our work,” says Shannon, the daughter of Bolivian immigrants and a graduate of Berkeley and UCLA, “is not done. We will continue to push for immigrant inclusion in all County processes—from housing and language access to labor protections. We want immigrant priorities to be a part of every budget and policy conversation.

“The most important priority was the housing issue. Many cannot afford the rent. It is very expensive. It goes up every year. We propose expanding the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool to prevent people from falling into homelessness when they are at risk of eviction.

“We want to expand assistance plans here in the County because undocumented immigrants cannot apply for other local, state, or national programs for financial assistance with rent because they are undocumented.”

“There are opportunities. Local governments in California know that these days people cannot work like they are used to because of the presence of ICE, that it is problematic to go out on the street, and that if they don't work they can't pay the rent."

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