With many immigrants afraid to go to work due to immigration raids in Los Angeles, several community groups are stepping up to help their neighbors. These groups are raising money to support street vendors so they can avoid being on the streets, where they might be picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The community assistance comes amid President Donald Trump’s broad immigration enforcement, which he says is a right-sizing of the “open borders” policy of former President Joe Biden.
Raising money
The Local Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, told Straight Arrow News that it is raising money to give back to these vendors.
A foundation spokesperson tells SAN that the local street vendors are big supporters of their foundation and donate to them. The foundation says this is their way of being reciprocal.
That spokesperson also tells SAN they are not solely focused on helping immigrants but rather all those in need in their community. Over the last few weeks, as they’ve made drop-offs, they donated funds to street vendors they come across.
“Our mission is not political, our only goal is to make sure no one in our community goes hungry,” said a foundation spokesperson, who was granted anonymity for fear of government retaliation. “Our work centers on ensuring that people in our community have access to food, particularly those who are unable to leave their homes. This includes immigrant families who may feel unsafe going out, elderly individuals who are homebound, and families caring for children with autism who may face challenges leaving the house.”
Local Hearts is a grassroots foundation that operates on an annual budget of approximately $100,000. They say their average donation is only $5-$10.
They wouldn’t disclose how much they’ve raised so far to help the immigrant community.
Another group trying to help is K-Town For All, according to NBC4 Los Angeles.
That group told NBC4 they’ve raised $60,000 for 36 families in Koreatown to cover street vendors’ rent and other bills for a month.
LA street vendors
The city estimated that there were more than 50,000 street vendors around Los Angeles, creating a $504 million industry.
Estimates say about three-quarters of those people sell merchandise, while the rest sell food.
A Democratic state senator introduced legislation in March known as the Street Vendor Protection Act. That bill would prevent immigration enforcement agents from accessing data on street vendors from local governments.
It would also prevent permitting programs from inquiring into immigration or citizenship status.
“As the proud daughter of immigrant farmworkers, I know firsthand the value that immigrant communities bring to California. Immigrant men, women, and children continue to face the threat of family separation through deportation,” said Senator María Elena Durazo, who introduced the bill. “The federal government has initiated aggressive and violent tactics that are terrorizing our neighborhoods.”
That bill continues to move through the General Assembly, and it’s unclear if it has the support to become law.
Immigration raids
This comes as President Donald Trump promised to increase immigration enforcement in cities like LA, saying the large municipalities have shielded undocumented immigrants from being deported according to federal law.
“We must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” the president wrote on social media on Sunday, June 15.
The first raids in Los Angeles took place on Friday, June 6, leading to mass protests around the city that lasted for approximately two weeks.
