Photodisc/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Officials in Los Angeles have proposed a $10 million legal defense fund to provide attorneys for undocumented immigrants facing deportation.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Tuesday on allocating $1 million to the L.A. Justice Fund this year, and the Los Angeles City Council will vote in January to contribute $2 million over the next two years.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said there’s a push to get funds like this approved in major cities before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to crack down on illegal immigration.
“We’ll have a change in government next month. We expect there could be actions right away and we need to have the beginning of that money in place to be able to help people,” Garcetti said.
Critics believe the fund is a waste of taxpayers’ money, including Ira Mehlman, media director for Federation for American Immigration Reform, who told ABC affiliate KABC-TV that “there’s so many public needs that are going on these days.”
“For the mayor and the city council to turn around and take $10 million and devote it to helping people fight removal after they have violated federal immigration laws, it does not do justice to the vast majority of the people who live in Los Angeles,” he said to KABC-TV.
Los Angeles isn’t the only major city working to protect undocumented immigrants. Earlier this month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a $1.3 million legal fund in partnership with the National Immigrant Justice Center to help immigrants in the city fight deportation.
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