Immigration detention and removal place a significant economic strain on families and local communities.

Across California, high proportions of immigrants are employed in essential job functions, including agricultural and healthcare workers. And undocumented workers and their family members with multiple immigration statuses contributed $10.7 billion in state and local taxes Los Angeles. 

Despite their contributions, immigrants have been criminalized through longstanding federal removal and detention priorities, but without a guaranteed right to counsel.

Facing the drastic and severe consequences of deportation, most immigrants are forced to defend themselves in court against government-funded trial attorneys and immigration judges. With a qualified attorney, immigrants are five times more likely to win relief from deportation. They’re also less likely to fall prey to unscrupulous immigration practitioners.  

Help us keep Los Angeles’ immigrant communities healthy and safe.  

While the immigration legal services pipeline has been strengthened, providers remain woefully under-resourced respective to the volume of service demand. We invite you to join us in our efforts to fortify a safety net that tackles systemic issues, challenges and barriers for Los Angeles’ immigrant communities through universal representation. 

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for Immigration Legal Services. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Immigrants are part of the fabric of Los Angeles and their economic, social and cultural contributions make our city the dynamic and vibrant metropolis it is today. Immigrant Angelenos make up 35 percent of the County’s total population of over 10 million individuals. The immigrant community in the Los Angeles metro area is a significant consumer base that spends over $108.6 billion per year and contributes over $38 billion in state, local, and federal taxes. They are long-term residents with deep roots in the region whose labor force is an integral part of Los Angeles’ economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the heroic work of immigrants and their families, who helped our region make it through one of the toughest times in our collective history. Immigrant Angelenos worked to maintain food supplies, provide care, and keep the economy afloat even as they and their families suffered the most. All this happened against a backdrop of anti-immigrant rhetoric and federal policies that sought to strip them of their fundamental rights and humanity.

ABOUT THE IMMIGRANTS ARE LOS ANGELES FUND 
The economic wellbeing of our region, is directly tied to the wellbeing of immigrants, however, despite their role as essential workers, over 900,0000 Angelenos continue to be excluded from access to economic and government relief packages, quality healthcare, worker protections and rent moratoriums due to their immigration status. As we begin to build a post-pandemic Los Angeles that is just, equitable and inclusive of immigrants we must ensure their needs are addressed within the recovery effort. This will require a bold policy agenda that addresses the root causes of systemic inequities that are harmful to us all and challenges us to advance new long-term solutions for immigrants and the place we call home: Los Angeles

To reinforce our commitment to elevate, empower and advocate on behalf of the immigrant community, the California Community Foundation has created the Immigrants Are Los Angeles Fund.

The Fund will seek to advance the following goals:

GOAL 1:
Invest in strengthening and sustaining the infrastructure of nonprofit organizations serving as critical safety-nets, trusted community messengers, providers of local services and programs, and advocates for the immigrant community. This would allow for the continued work around community engagement, civic participation and empowerment, and the advancement of policies that ensure economic recovery, equity and opportunity for immigrants and all Angelenos.

GOAL 2:
Strengthen and expand access to critical legal immigration services that keep families together, allow for fair legal representation, and provide opportunities to benefit from programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protective Status (TPS), and Naturalization.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for Immigrants Are Los Angeles. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Each year since 2020, the Los Angeles Immigration Summit has convened hundreds of leaders from across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to advance an immigrant inclusive policy agenda for Los Angeles.

The Summit includes stakeholders from business, labor, community-based organizations, local government, funders, and other sectors. It’s built on the collaborative effort between the California Community Foundation, the USC Equity Research Institute, the Council on Immigrant Inclusion, and the Immigrants Are LA coalition.

View recent and past events: