The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a motion to advance the implementation of RepresentLA, a $4 million program to provide various legal services to the city’s immigrant community.
The council adopted a motion of amendment, presented by the members Kevin de LeonPaul Krekorian and Monica Rodriguez in May 2022, which seeks the adoption of a new program framework following the conclusion of the Los Angeles Justice Fund, the predecessor of RepresentLA.
The previous program was a two-year public-private partnership between the city, Los Angeles County, the California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation. The LAJF pilot program provided a collective $7.9 million to establish a legal defense fund to provide representation to immigrants facing deportation.
People looking to help loved ones apply for U.S. residency should consider some changes in economic requirements.
“Due process is everyone’s business,” de León said. “It is also a basic human right. No matter who you are, where you come from, due process is essential to personal justice.”
According to de León, more than two-thirds of people who appear in Los Angeles County immigration court are faced with a judge with no one on their side to represent them.
“That’s why the complete transition from LA Justice Fund to RepresentLA is so important,” he said. “This formalizes the city’s commitment to our immigrant communities. It is the responsibility of everyone at all levels of government to support immigrants.”
He also argued that RepresentLA would be a great investment in the city’s economic gross domestic product because deportation “rips families apart in the city” and said this type of dislocation results in the impoverishment of communities.
As part of the motion, the City will use a selection of recommended contractors to implement various components of RepresentLA, such as data collection and program evaluation, detainee removal defense representation and non-detained, positive portrayal of the benefits of immigration, and community and educational outreach.
The city will authorize a memorandum of understanding with the county to provide immigrant legal services through its program for a three-year term with the option to extend for two additional one-year terms depending on the availability of funds. .
The week of March 6 is dedicated to the consumer, and the California Bar Association would like to remind all Spanish speakers that they have a dedicated person to help them free of charge throughout the year.
The motion passed by a vote of 11-0.
Some members of the public criticized the councilman’s continued attendance at council meetings on Wednesday.
He defied widespread calls to resign over his involvement in the 2021 conversation with former council chairman Nury Martinez, former council member Gil Cedillo and former Los County Federation of Labor president Ron Herrera. Angeles, which included racist comments and was leaked in 2022.
Martínez and Herrera resigned following the leak, while Cedillo was removed from office by councilwoman Eunisses Hernández to represent the first district.