People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement Elevates Stories of Violent Federal Targeting Across Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES- Community members and organizations affected by last year’s immigration raids shared testimony this week at the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement: Los Angeles, a public forum examining the civil rights impacts of federal immigration enforcement across the city, as families continue to navigate lasting trauma and complex legal and immigration challenges. Held at California Community Foundation (CCF), the hearing, like previous installments in Minnesota and Chicago, will be documented as a public report. View the People’s Report: Minnesota here.
United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) Rochelle Garza, former USCCR Chair Marty Castro and Miguel Santana, President of the California Community Foundation, moderated panel discussions and engaged directly with testifiers to document the impact federal immigration enforcement has had on Los Angeles communities. View the recorded hearing here.
“As a resident of the Texas-Mexico border, immigration enforcement has long been a part of my everyday life. However, the shift we’ve seen in our region and across this country over the last year and a half has raised serious civil rights and civil liberties concerns. In fact, Los Angeles is still dealing with devastating impacts because of the ICE raids and heightened federal enforcement that surged one year ago,” said Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “I’m heartened by the resilience of Los Angelenos and the collective bravery to put immensely personal and harrowing stories on the public record. The People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement, in every city it is held, remains an intentional effort to ensure that the history books on this chapter be written by the community, not by those that caused the harm.”
“Over the past year federal agents have systemically targeted hardworking immigrants with no criminal records who were simply on their way to work, taking their kids to school, or caring for loved ones. Brave leaders in our community defended their neighbors and joined us to testify about the people in the community who were harassed, despite their possession of valid documentation. Their stories are heartbreaking and must be heard, that’s why it is essential for us to build a public record of what happened and what is still happening to our families and communities,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation.
“June 6, 2025, will be remembered as a day that challenged Los Angeles. It challenged our commitment to the Constitution, to due process, and to the values that define us as Americans,” said Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “For more than a year, Los Angeles communities have stepped up to that challenge with solidarity, generosity, and courage. CCF is proud to partner with civic and elected leaders across the County, nonprofit organizations providing critical services at unprecedented scale, and community rapid response networks to keep each other safe. Together, through the LA Neighbors Support Fund, we continue to assist families whose lives were turned upside down when a loved one was detained or deported.”
“The hearing today brought to light in a very personal and direct way what we have heard from hundreds of families throughout 2025 torn apart by the immigration raids boosted by hateful rhetoric by the Trump Administration. Yet what has defined Los Angeles is not fear—it is the power of people. Neighbors, community organizations, faith leaders, workers, and advocates came together to protect one another, support affected families, and defend the values that make our city strong. Our collective courage, solidarity, and determination have shown that no amount of intimidation can overcome a community united in the fight for dignity, justice, and belonging for all,” stated Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).
“Los Angeles is prepared, we are organized, and we are not backing down. Every hotline call, every detention visit, every habeas petition, every family reunited, every person whose constitutional rights we are able to vindicate—each of these is a reminder that due process is not just an abstract concept,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director and co-founder of Immigrant Defenders Law Center. “It is the difference between safety and danger, between family unity and separation, between hope and despair. Uplifting the powerful voices of directly impacted community members through The People’s Hearing is a reminder that due process takes all of us.”
“The People’s Hearings on Immigration Enforcement are vital to our democracy,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr, head of the Miranda Family and Miranda Family Fund. “We must bear witness to our neighbors’ testimonies and allow our communities to tell their stories—in their own words and on their own terms— in order for our government and our leaders to be held accountable, for justice to be served, and change to come.”
“For the past year and a half, the Trump administration’s immigration raids and detentions have made life-altering damage to communities, neighborhoods, schools, work sites, and families,” said UFW Foundation CEO Erica Lomeli Corcoran. “Fear of immigration enforcement has profound, life-changing consequences for immigrants and farm workers, leaving families to make impossible decisions between their livelihoods and their safety. When workers are afraid of immigration enforcement authorities, they are less likely to report wage theft, unsafe working conditions, harassment, or retaliation. This is why the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement is so important—because documenting these injustices helps bring accountability to those who abuse the system to uphold an outdated and racist mindset, and justice for those whose rights have been violated.”
The forum, part of a national event series facilitated by Hispanic Federation, convened civil rights and community organizations from Immigrant Defenders Law Center, ACLU of Southern California, UFW Foundation, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and many more local partners. The forum is supported by Latino Victory, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and the Miranda Family.
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