LOS ANGELES – Today, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez brought some of the region’s most respected immigrant and human rights organizations — the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — to Los Angeles City Hall to speak to Council about the impact of the Trump administration’s unlawful abductions of immigrants across the City and provide updates on the landmark lawsuit filed in July.
“Los Angeles is a city of immigrants — and we will not stand by while Trump weaponizes federal agencies to terrorize our neighbors,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “Our role as a City is clear: demand accountability and do everything in our power possible to protect the people who make Los Angeles thrive.”
With a major hearing now scheduled for September 24, advocates stressed the urgent need for the City to stand firmly with immigrant families, laying out what the City must do, including:
- Hold LAPD accountable for collaboration with federal immigration enforcement and demand that police safeguard the constitutional rights of all Angelenos regardless of immigration status
- Invest more into RepresentLA, the County’s public-private program that provides free legal representation to immigrants facing deportation
- Encourage residents to, when safe to do so, exercise their First Amendment rights and document raids
- Support impacted businesses and families with economic aid.
They also called for housing support during what Angelica Salas, Executive Director of CHIRLA, described as a “Trump-made disaster” and “state of emergency” – urging eviction protections and a sensible cap on skyrocketing rents. “We need to keep our community housed,” said Salas, during her testimony. “This includes eviction protections and passing the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance so that families trying to survive can keep paying their housing costs.”
The presentations made clear that despite the Temporary Restraining Order, the administration’s unconstitutional tactics, abductions and intimidation have persisted. The advocates also pointed to reports of inhumane conditions at the Adelanto detention center, where detainees are forced to endure freezing temperatures and other rights violations.
“Westlake, MacArthur Park, and neighborhoods across Los Angeles have been treated as hunting grounds by federal agents,” said Martha Arevalo, Executive Director of CARECEN. “We will not be silent as our people are targeted. Together with the City of Los Angeles, we are fighting to make sure that our communities are not criminalized for existing, and that each and every Angeleno, regardless of their status, is treated with the dignity, respect, and humanity they deserve.”
Advocates explained that the courts have already sided with immigrant communities in several early rulings, rejecting the federal government’s attempt to undo protections against unlawful stops. The case is now moving forward with motions for class certification and a preliminary injunction, and the outcome of September’s hearing could set national precedent.
Since the first wave of federal immigration enforcement raids in February, Councilmember Hernandez has turned CD1 into a frontline of immigrant defense. Her office works hand in hand with CHIRLA and CARECEN to host ongoing Know Your Rights trainings, and has partnered with Mijente to deploy a community defense organizer directly in the district. Beyond information sharing, Hernandez has ensured material support: in 2025 alone, her office has delivered more than 2,500 bags of fresh groceries to low-income families, many of whom are too afraid to leave their homes, while distributing $100,000 in rental aid to tenants at risk of eviction, the majority of whom reside in MacArthur Park and Pico Union, neighborhoods repeatedly targeted by federal immigration enforcement. At the policy level, Hernandez has co-authored the City’s Sanctuary Ordinance and introduced measures to track unidentified federal agents, curb unconstitutional practices, expose and limit LAPD’s interactions with ICE, and force transparency and accountability on police protest tactics.