Latest news with #CoalitionforHumaneImmigrantRightsofLosAngeles
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.
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California state lawmaker introduces bill to protect street vendors' personal data from ICE
SACRAMENTO – A new bill aims to protect the personal data of California's street vendors from being given over to federal immigration agencies. The bill, SB 635, was introduced last week by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles). According to Durazo's office, the bill would prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from getting data collected by local governments on street vendors. Further, the bill would prohibit sidewalk vending permitting programs from even asking about a potential vendor's immigration status. "Street vendors are pivotal to California's culture and economy, and nationally they have been huge contributors to their communities," Durazo said in a Monday statement about the new bill. "Now more than ever, California must come together to uplift and empower micro businesses across the State." Across the state, street vendors have been a flashpoint of public policy in recent years. In Sacramento, to try and deal with concerns over illegal food vendors, county leaders are considering licensing rules for such food sellers. Last year, Los Angeles rescinded a ban on street vendors outside of popular tourist spots in the city. LA city council also voted in 2024 to drastically reduce the annual street vending permit fees. The bill is co-sponsored by a number of immigrant advocate groups, including Inclusive Action for the City, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Community Power Collective, and Public Counsel.
