Dear John,

Los Angeles County is under siege—by a federal administration using fear, military force, and misinformation to terrorize immigrant communities. What we are witnessing is not a public safety operation: it is a coordinated campaign of fear, escalation, and cruelty. The deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines as ordered by President Trump, is a gross abuse of power and a purposeful provocation designed to silence protests and destabilize immigrant communities.

This weekend, immigration agents backed by federal forces descended on neighborhoods in Paramount, Long Beach, Lennox, Lincoln Heights, Inglewood, downtown Los Angeles, and Compton—communities overwhelmingly Latinx and working-class. They targeted places where day laborers gather and where people work, live, and raise their children. They deployed flash-bang grenades, pepper balls, and tear gas on peaceful protesters, legal observers, local elected officials, and community members, some of whom were simply asking to see a warrant.

This is not law and order. This is chaos, sown by a federal government using military force against its own people. Governor Gavin Newsom put it plainly: "This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust." California is home to 10.6 million ([link removed]) immigrants, 1.8 million ([link removed]) of whom are undocumented, with 66 percent ([link removed]) of undocumented immigrants having lived here for 10 or more years. These raids are separating families, terrifying children, and targeting people who are here to build a better life—often fleeing violence or economic desperation in their home countries.

Immigrants Rising stands with Los Angeles residents who believe that everyone, regardless of status, deserves to live with dignity and without fear. We stand with the day laborers, the workers in the garment and meatpacking industries, the hustling entrepreneurs, the undocumented students building a future, and the families huddled inside local businesses, too afraid to come out. We stand with all who call this city home and contribute to its spirit, economy, and culture. And we do so with full knowledge of where we are: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula—a city founded and built by immigrants, and still defined by their dreams. Yet long before any settlers arrived, this land was—and remains—the ancestral home of the Tongva, Tataviam, Chumash, Serrano, and Kizh peoples.

We call on all local and state officials to continue resisting these cruel and chaotic federal actions—not just with words, but with policies that shield and support our communities. We urge journalists, educators, legal advocates, and community leaders to speak truth to power and hold the federal government accountable for what is happening on our streets.


** What Immigrants Rising Is Doing:
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* We are working with legal and community-based partners to ensure rapid response networks are active and resourced.
* We are disseminating Know Your Rights materials in English and Spanish across our networks, especially in high-risk areas.
* We are mobilizing allies in philanthropy, higher education, public agencies, and elected offices to stand visibly and materially with immigrant communities during this time.


** Immediate Resources:
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* 24/7 Immigration Raid Hotline by CHIRLA: 1-888-624-4752
* California Rapid Response Network Listing ([link removed]) by CA Immigrant Policy Center
* Know Your Rights: Immigrants' Rights ([link removed]) by ACLU
* Resources on subjects related to immigrant detention ([link removed]) by California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice
* Protest Pocket Guide ([link removed]) by Democracy Security Project
* Mental Health Resources for Undocumented People ([link removed]) by Immigrants Rising
* Mental Health Connector For Students in California ([link removed]) by Immigrants Rising
* Detained Immigrant Bond Fund ([link removed]) by CLUE Justice, Los Angeles


** What Community Can Do to Support:
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(credit to Dr. Veronica Terriquez, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center ([link removed]) )
* Check in on immigrant families you know. Offer mutual aid—this can include delivering groceries, running errands, giving children rides to school, or offering financial support.
* If you employ someone who is afraid to leave their home, consider giving them paid time off.
* Donate to immigrant rights organizations.
* Volunteer as a responder for your local Rapid Response Network ([link removed]) .
* Encourage friends and relatives to call their Congressional representatives and express opposition to these harmful raids.
* Support the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund ([link removed]) , led by CLUE Justice, Los Angeles.

To our immigrant community: You are not alone. You are not disposable. You belong. And we will not stop fighting for your right to live, work, and thrive in the only home many of us have ever known.

In community,
Iliana G. Perez, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Immigrants Rising

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