Amid a surge in reported federal immigration raids, Los Angeles leaders and immigration advocates said Friday the actions appeared aimed at driving down midterm election turnout and urged voters not to be intimidated.
“The timing of these actions just weeks before the midterm elections is no accident,” said Jeannette Zanipatin, policy director for the Alliance for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles. “These tactics are designed to silence immigrant communities, stifle civic engagement and divide our communities.”
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Alliance for Humane Immigrant Rights, during a press conference in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
(Gary Coronado/The Times)
Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, accused the Republican Trump administration of trying to block voting and said her organization and others would send legal observers to polling places across the state as part of the “Can’t Stop California” campaign.
“With just 18 days until the election and the Trump administration’s intimidating threats continuing, don’t let anyone convince you that your voice doesn’t matter,” Salas said at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles. “We’re protecting our people. We’re also protecting our people’s ability to participate in the election. California organized itself. That’s why we are a progressive, pro-immigration state.”
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the Associated Press, it is illegal to send armed federal agents to election sites, and the Department of Homeland Security has previously said it would not send agents to polling places, calling statements to the contrary “fear-mongering.” In May, when asked about sending immigration agents to polling locations, President Trump said he would “do whatever is necessary to make sure we have an honest election.”
In California, mail-in ballots have been sent out and can be returned before Election Day on November 3, but immigration advocates worry that an increase in immigration raids could intimidate people from going to the polls. She added that more people were detained by immigration officials this summer than last year.
The reported increase in immigration raids comes as the federal government takes aim at the state’s election process. On Thursday, the Justice Department sued California over claims of voter fraud and accused the state of counting ballots “that may have been cast by non-citizens.”
At a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was committed to protecting immigrants and accused Trump of using the raids to distract from his unpopular stance on the Iran war and soaring oil prices.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a press conference on Friday.
(Gary Coronado/The Times)
“With the election just weeks away, Trump is trying to distract from his record. Prices are rising because of his reckless tariffs, and gas prices are skyrocketing because of this war,” Bass said. “His constant demagoguery to change the conversation puts immigrant communities at risk, and we’ve seen this before.”
Bass encouraged voters to submit their ballots by mail to avoid voting in person if they are afraid. She said she is working to increase protections, including using the Los Angeles Police Department to document federal law enforcement activity.
Assemblymember Imelda Padilla said her district, which includes the northeastern San Fernando Valley, has been hardest hit.
“There are videos everywhere showing the madness, chaos and unprofessionalism this has caused to our community,” Padilla said.
She encouraged residents to look out for their neighbors during the increased raids, offering rides to those who are afraid to drive or use public transportation, delivering groceries or walking their neighbors’ children to school.