The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took sweeping action Tuesday to protect immigrant communities from what officials described as escalating federal enforcement operations, approving a motion to declare a local emergency and redirecting funds to support vulnerable families.
The board approved Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath's motion to initiate a Proclamation of Local Emergency in response to federal immigration actions that supervisors said have spread fear and disrupted neighborhoods across the county. The formal proclamation is scheduled to come before the board Oct. 14.
"These raids are not about safety — they are about fear," Horvath said. "They are targeting families, disrupting classrooms, silencing workers, and forcing people to choose between staying safe and staying housed. Declaring a Local Emergency is how we fight back — with care, with coordination, and with every legal tool available to protect our immigrant communities."
Once adopted, the emergency proclamation would empower the county to expedite contracting, procurement and hiring while requesting additional financial assistance and mutual aid to support affected communities. The proclamation would remain in effect until terminated by the board.
The emergency declaration comes as Los Angeles County — where one in three residents are immigrants — faces what officials characterize as unprecedented federal enforcement operations targeting workplaces and neighborhoods.
"Unprecedented ICE raids at workplaces — targeting hardworking immigrants, not criminals — are tearing apart communities, leaving families without breadwinners, and sowing fear and chaos in immigrant neighborhoods," said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the emergency motion. "As we grapple with how to respond to ICE's cruelty and disregard for the law, I think it is important we have every tool at our disposal, including emergency powers."
In related action Tuesday, the board approved Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis' motion requesting the Los Angeles County Office of Education provide a report within 30 days on implementation of state laws protecting immigrant students. The report will examine how Assembly Bill 49, the California Safe Haven Schools Act, and Senate Bill 98, the Sending Alerts to Families in Education Act, are being enforced on school campuses.
"These laws are essential to keeping our schools safe, inclusive, and welcoming places where every child can learn and thrive without fear," Solis said. "Immigrant students and their families deserve to feel protected and supported in their communities."
The board also approved reallocating $1.3 million in previously unused funds to sustain the county's Mobile Immigrant Services Program. The money was originally set aside in 2023 in anticipation of buses transporting immigrants to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County but had gone unused.
The mobile program, operated through the Office of Immigrant Affairs within the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, delivers free legal assistance, case management, benefits enrollment and language-access support directly to immigrant communities. The mobile model allows the county to reach individuals and families in homeless shelters, on the streets and those too afraid to seek help through traditional channels.
"The Trump administration's inhumane immigration enforcement has put thousands of families at risk," Solis said. "This action ensures that Los Angeles County can continue supporting some of our most vulnerable residents. Today's vote is about protecting families and preserving their dignity in the face of an evolving crisis."
The funding reallocation moves $1.3 million from the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs' Provisional Financing Unit allocation to its operating budget. It also authorizes the department to pursue additional grants and funding sources to expand immigrant services, emergency financial assistance and language access programs.
During Tuesday's meeting, County Counsel presented options for a potential eviction moratorium, part of the county's ongoing effort to leverage legal tools to protect families affected by federal immigration actions. Advocates and county departments will continue evaluating those options in coming weeks.
The actions build on Solis' ongoing efforts to strengthen immigrant support, including adoption of the county's Language Access Policy, expansion of legal assistance programs and creation of emergency financial aid for families destabilized by immigration enforcement.
The emergency proclamation, once formally introduced Oct. 14, would authorize county departments to take all necessary emergency actions to protect and stabilize impacted communities throughout Los Angeles County.