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Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Los Angeles To Give Cash Assistance To Immigrants Impacted By Trump Raids
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a new initiative to provide direct cash assistance to immigrants impacted by the Trump administration's ongoing immigration raids. The funds will be distributed as cash cards valued at "a couple hundred" dollars each and is expected to become available within the next week, Bass said Newsweek has contacted Bass' office for comment via email outside of office hours. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history to address illegal immigration and border security. However, the policy has sparked concerns about its potential effects on the economy. The GOP's flagship immigration policy under Trump is causing people to avoid going to work amid fears over workplace raids. California has become one of the key battleground states for immigration enforcement after President Trump directed ICE to increase operations in sanctuary states. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stands in front of a Border Patrol federal agent at MacArthur Park Monday, July 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stands in front of a Border Patrol federal agent at MacArthur Park Monday, July 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes/AP What To Know The cash assistance is intended for families directly impacted by the immigration raids. Mayor Bass highlighted the example of a family that faced potential eviction after one of its primary earners was detained by immigration authorities. The program will be funded through private donations rather than city funds. Immigrant rights organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, will handle the distribution of the cash cards. According to the mayor's office, the city will coordinate efforts between donors and distribution partners, though specific eligibility criteria have not yet been announced. Bass likened the initiative to the Angeleno Cards program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provided emergency financial assistance to vulnerable residents in Los Angeles. The cash cards announcement coincided with a new executive order signed Friday by Bass, directing all city departments to strengthen training and policies ensuring compliance with Los Angeles' sanctuary city law. This law prohibits using city employees or resources for civil immigration enforcement, except in cases of serious crime. City departments have two weeks to outline updated protocols, Bass said. The executive order also creates a working group to review the Los Angeles Police Department's approach to federal immigration enforcement and directs city staff to seek records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on recent raids. The measures are part of a series of responses from city leaders and the mayor to a federal crackdown that has entered its second month in Los Angeles. The American Immigration Council projects that the mass removal policy could carry a one-time cost of $315 billion. Furthermore, deporting 1 million individuals each year could lead to annual expenses reaching up to $88 billion. What People Are Saying Bass said at a press conference on Friday: "You have people who don't want to leave their homes, who are not going to work, and they are in need of cash."
Los Angeles Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. will provide cash assistance to immigrants affected by raids
Mayor Karen Bass announced a plan Friday to provide direct cash assistance to people who have been affected by the Trump administration's sweeping immigration raids. The aid will be distributed using cash cards with a 'couple hundred' dollars on them, which should be available in about a week, Bass said at a press conference. 'You have people who don't want to leave their homes, who are not going to work, and they are in need of cash,' she said. Bass spoke about a family she met who needed two incomes to afford their rent. After one of the breadwinners was detained in an immigration raid, she said, the family is concerned they may face eviction. It was not immediately clear what the qualifications will be needed to receive the cards. The mayor emphasized that the money will not come from city coffers but from philanthropic partners. The cards will be distributed by immigrants rights groups like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The city will coordinate between philanthropists and organizations distributing the cards, according to the mayor's office. The mayor compared the program to 'Angeleno Cards,' created by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2020 to give financial assistance to people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came during a Bass press conference about an executive order she signed Friday directing all city departments to 'bolster protocols' and training on how to comply with the city's sanctuary policy, which states that city employees and city property may not be used to 'investigate, cite, arrest, hold, transfer or detain any person' for the purpose of immigration enforcement, except for serious crimes. Departments will have to come up with their plans within two weeks. The Trump administration sued the city over the sanctuary policy last month, arguing that it discriminates against organizations like ICE. The executive order also creates a working group that will examine — and possibly update — the LAPD's policy on responding to immigration enforcement. Since 1979, the LAPD has taken a strong stance against enforcing federal immigration law, prohibiting its officers from initiating contact with anyone for the sole purpose of learning their immigration status. The executive order also includes a directive to file Freedom of Information Act requests for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to turn over records with the dates and locations of every raid in the city since June 6, as well as the identities of the people detained and the reason for their detention. The cash cards are one of a slew of announcements — including the executive order — this week by the mayor in response to the federal immigration crackdown in Los Angeles that has entered its second month. Earlier this week, she and the city attorney announced the city's intention to join a lawsuit calling for an end to the Trump administration's 'unlawful' raids in the city.
