Los Angeles city leaders made plans to insulate marginalized communities from new White House policies, following the election of Donald Trump.
Trump’s election has created concerns about the rights and safety of immigrants, with the president signing an executive order to declare a border emergency Monday. Lindsey Horvath, a county supervisor whose district includes UCLA, said in a written statement that she plans to work to maintain rights for immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Horvath added in the statement that she plans to maintain the values she believes are already present in her community, but will double down on them to protect diverse communities.
“We will remain the social safety net for our local communities, while striving to model for the nation what inclusion, harmony, and a more perfect union can look like,” she said.
LA Mayor Karen Bass also released a statement in the wake of the election reacting to the immigration protocols Trump plans to execute. In the face of Trump’s deportation threats, Bass said she stands alongside immigrant communities across LA.
Bass also said in the statement that she is looking forward to working with city council members to provide protections for the immigrant population of LA by establishing a “Sanctuary City” ordinance with the city council. Bass and other city officials are prepared to take on the roles needed to create a LA that will stand with its citizens, she said.
Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, an associate professor in the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies said Trump’s goal of deporting all undocumented immigrants would also result in an economic crisis for Mexico and El Salvador, reducing Mexican imports and increasing inflation in the United States.
In a Dec. 3 press release marking the end of her term as county chair, Horvath said she has continued to scale up the Pathway Home Encampment Resolution program, which aims to reduce unsheltered homelessness in the county. The 2023 Board of Supervisors program is a means to lead people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing, according to the program’s government site.
LA City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, whose district represents UCLA, said in a written statement that addressing local issues, such as homelessness and infrastructure, will become increasingly challenging under the Trump administration.
Trump has called for sweeping cuts of federal funding, including of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The department offers homelessness assistance as they work alongside non-profit organizations to move the unhoused to temporary housing and/or supportive housing, according to the department’s questions and answers site.
Yaroslavsky also said in her statement that while her vision for the city remains the same, it is now even more important to advocate for civil and human rights and to fight discrimination.
“This vision for the kind of city we want to live in doesn’t change with any national political shifts – it is woven into the fabric of who we are as Angelenos,” she said.
Nina Rabin, the director of the UCLA School of Law Immigrant Family Legal Clinic, said she believes the Trump administration is instigating fear among marginalized groups and added that it is important to support organizations that are focused on immigrants rights.
Rabin said she was learning to navigate how to speak to students, staff and clients about the new political climate.
Many Angelenos are struggling to access basic needs, said Rudy Espinoza, executive director of Inclusive Action for the City – an LA-based nonprofit working to support underinvested communities.
Espinoza said his team will focus on supporting communities that it believes has been left behind now that the new Trump administration is in office.
Robert Chao Romero, an associate professor of Chicana/o studies, said he will work to provide care for undergraduate and graduate students. He added he will continue to support students from marginalized communities who may face threats during Trump’s administration and work to combat the effects of the potential cuts on the Department of Education.
Horvath said that although the county may face challenges during the Trump administration, it will continue being a safe space for marginalized communities.
“Los Angeles County will continue to protect our immigrant communities, to affirm reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, and the right of every person to live and be met with care first by their government,” she said.
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