Mayor Announces Direct Cash Assistance for Immigrants

Mayor Karen Bass revealed on Friday plans to provide direct cash assistance for individuals impacted by the immigration policies of the Trump administration.

According to Bass, assistance will be delivered through cash cards worth “hundreds” of dollars, with availability expected within a week, as she shared during a press conference.

“There are people who are afraid to leave their homes, individuals who are hesitant to work and truly need the cash,” she noted.

She recounted meeting a family that relied on two incomes to afford their rent and expressed concern over their risk of eviction after one member was detained during an immigration raid.

It’s unclear what specific qualifications individuals would need to obtain these cards.

The mayor pointed out that this funding is sourced from charitable partners rather than city funds. Groups like the Humanitarian Immigration Rights Coalition in Los Angeles will handle card distribution.

The city is working to connect philanthropists with these organizations, according to her office.

Bass mentioned that this initiative is reminiscent of the “Angeleno Card” launched by former Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2020 to assist those affected financially by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The announcement coincided with an executive order aimed at enhancing protocols across city departments to support trained staff in matters concerning undocumented immigrants.

Last month, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against cities over their sanctuary policies, alleging discrimination against federal agencies like ICE.

This executive order seeks to review and potentially revise LAPD policies related to immigration enforcement, maintaining a stance established in 1979 that prevents officers from contacting individuals solely to inquire about their immigration status.

Additionally, the order mandates the documentation of immigration-related incidents since June 6th and directs a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain records from ICE about the identities and reasons for detentions.

The cash card initiative is just one of several responses from the mayor this week to address the heightened focus on federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, which is now entering its second month.

Earlier in the week, she and the city attorney expressed their plans to join a lawsuit against what they termed the “illegal” actions of the Trump administration in the city.