"Your tax dollars fund an organization that organizes efforts to directly interfere with the federal government’s lawful exercise of authority"
A taxpayer-funded Los Angeles nonprofit is facing scrutiny over its role in organizing resistance to federal immigration enforcement operations. The allegations come as federal agents have carried out a new round of immigration enforcement activity across Southern California.
Attorney Laura Powell with Californians for Good Governance pointed to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a Los Angeles pro-immigrant group, as a central player in efforts to monitor and respond to ICE operations.
Detailing the organization’s activities, Powell described CHIRLA’s role in the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, a coalition of nonprofits that coordinates responses to ICE activity.
CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas previously announced that the network’s hotline has received over 50 calls reporting ICE activity and sightings of “men in military garb.”
Salas has referred to SEIU California President David Huerta as her “brother.” Huerta was arrested during a protest for blocking the path of an ICE vehicle. Governor Gavin Newsom also supported Huerta and claimed he was merely “witnessing” the action.
The nonprofit has received substantial public funding. Powell reported that financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023 show that CHIRLA reported nearly $34 million in government contract revenue. The state of California has accounted for about 96 percent of that revenue. The amount is a significant increase from the roughly $12 million in government contract revenue reported the previous year.
Among the government agencies that provided funding were the California Department of Social Services, the California Arts Council, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Federal funding includes grants for citizenship instruction and naturalization services.
“Your tax dollars fund an organization that organizes efforts to directly interfere with the federal government’s lawful exercise of authority. Then, through its lobbying arm, that organization helps get Democrats elected to office, who then repay the favor by ensuring increased funding,” Powell summarized.
The Trump administration has moved to terminate federal funding for CHIRLA’s citizenship programs, freezing remaining funds in February. CHIRLA filed a lawsuit in response, and a court denied its motion for a preliminary injunction in May. CHIRLA also filed a separate lawsuit that was dismissed for lack of standing.
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