City officials wrangle over funding for legal defense of migrants

A surge in need for representation collides with the budget crisis in L.A.

- BY NOAH GOLDBERG

CARLIN STIEHL Los Angeles Times BORDER Patrol officers head to the federal building in downtown L.A. last week.

Days after the Trump administration's mass immigration raids came to Los Angeles, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado started looking for money to help the city's undocumented residents.

In a June 10 motion, she asked City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo to detail options for finding at least $1 million for RepresentLA, which provides legal services for Angelenos facing deportation.

A week later, an official from Szabo’s office said they were “unable to identify eligible funding sources” for the $1 million, which would come on top of $1 million the city has already allocated to RepresentLA.

This summer in L.A., an immigration crisis is colliding with a budget crisis, leaving some council members frustrated that the city cannot do more, as federal agents whisk thousands of immigrants away to detention centers and potential deportation.

The city has been active in court, joining an ACLU lawsuit. that temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests. Mayor Karen Bass also announced a program to provide immigrants with gift cards, funded by private philanthropy, when many were afraid to go to work

But coming up with another $1 million for immigrant legal defense, after city officials closed a nearly $1-billion deficit through cuts and slated layoffs, has proved a slog.