The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday reaffirmed the county’s support for the immigrant community, citing concerns about threatened mass deportations during President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming term.
In a 4-0 vote, the board approved a motion to establish a task force to monitor the impact of changing federal immigration policies and to potentially establish a Department of Immigration Affairs. Other measures include increased mental health support for immigrants, securing ongoing funding for immigration-support offices and launching an awareness campaign.
The motion also reaffirms the county’s prohibition of using local resources for immigration enforcement activities absent a warrant.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstained from the vote.
According to a motion introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County is home to more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants “who are crucial to our economy, workforce and cultural diversity.”
“Undocumented residents contribute significantly to sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, and health care, while paying an estimated $8.5 billion annually in state and local taxes,” according to the motion. “In addition to their significant tax contributions, according to an analysis reported by Cal Lutheran, undocumented immigrants contribute more than $151 billion to California’s economy which represents 4.9% of the state’s GDP.”
The motion also noted that 60% of children born in the county have at least one immigrant parent.
“The president-elect has made no secret of his plans for immigration policy, including mass deportations, creating a deep sense of instability not only among undocumented immigrants, but also for those who have less than citizenship status and mixed immigration status households,” Solis said.
Solis said that in addition to undocumented immigrants, the county is home to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Temporary Protected Status holders, and asylum seekers — all of whom face fears of losing their protections.
Solis noted that she introduced a motion in 2017 during Trump’s first term, when the board established the Office of Immigrant Affairs to support the immigrant population through services such as legal representation and language access.
“Over the past year, OIA has channeled almost $37 million in programs and services to support all our immigrants and their families across the county,” Solis added.
Hahn said the motion was necessary given concerns stemming from Trump’s previous term and its “devastating impact” on undocumented residents and mixed-status households.
The board also directed the CEO’s office to identify and secure staffing to appropriately respond to immigrant communities’ needs and potentially to consider establishing a Department of Immigrant Affairs to expand on the work of the OIA.