When it first came together, the Immigrants Are LA coalition presented demands for Los Angeles County supervisors to spend American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds equitably to help the county’s immigrants. But IRLA’s goals were never just about the ARP. Behind that push lay a broader vision to make immigrants a visible, integral and permanent part of the county’s budget process.

As county officials presented their recommended budget for 2023-24, IRLA shared its own budget priorities and conducted extensive advocacy both in public and behind the scenes to ensure a real commitment to integrating immigrants into the life of the county. Our demands focused on three areas:

1. Fully fund STAY HOUSED L.A. at $22M, allocate $5M to protect low-income residents relying on COVID19-era rent protections, and adopt a right-to-counsel rule.

2. Remove barriers from local housing programs funded by MEASURE H and other initiatives that keep out undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families.

3. Designate $5M for a flexible housing subsidy for undocumented residents.

4. Establish $2M for an interest-free rental deposit pilot loan program with reasonable repayment terms for immigrant families.

5. Allocate $12M to REPRESENTLA for deportation defense, interpretation in indigenous languages, case management/counseling, and capacity building for providers.

6. Designate $2M for 50 community navigators/staff to help families of immigrants facing deportation with housing/access to aid.

7. Allocate $2.5M for an immigration legal services fellowship to train five law students/recent graduates for two years with community providers.

8. Designate $400,000 for two community wireless network pilot programs for immigrants in Districts 4 and 5.

9. Allocate $2M for a digital navigator program to help immigrant seniors and others learn to use the Internet.

10. Designate $100,000 for an immigrant liaison in the Internal Services Department to inform immigrant residents about low-cost broadband programs/services.