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Los Angeles County The authorities have made an announcement emergency situationThe goal of alleviating the financial hardship faced by residents due to the ongoing federal immigration raids,
The decision, made Tuesday, gives the LA County Board of Supervisors the authority to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind on payments as a direct result of this. action On immigrants.
this local emergency situation Also facilitates allocation of State funds for legal aid and other support services. According to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office, financial assistance for rent will be made available through an online portal that is expected to launch within two months.
Although this proposal represents a possible first step toward an eviction moratorium, such a measure would require a separate action by observers. However, the announcement has sparked concern among landlords, who fear another financial blow after a prolonged ban on evictions and rent hikes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
since juneThe Los Angeles area has been a Battle field In the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy that prompted protests and the deployment of National Guard and Marines for more than a month. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops and farms in the US. Some American citizens have also been detained.
The declaration passed on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Katherine Barger opposed.
In late August, the crackdown resulted in more than 5,000 arrests in Los Angeles. Many cities in the region canceled their Fourth of July celebrations and summer movie nights as families stayed home due to safety concerns. About a third of the county’s 10 million residents are foreign-born.
Horvath and Janice Hahn said the raids have spread fear and destabilized homes and businesses.
“Our residents are afraid to leave their homes, our constituents are contacting my office because their family members never came home and they don’t know if they’ve been taken by ICE or where they’ve been taken,” Hahn said. “We have entire families who are destitute because their parents have been taken from their workplaces and they have no way to pay their rent or put food on their table.”
Last week, the five-member board voted 4-1 to put the declaration up for a vote at its regular Tuesday meeting. The only “no” vote also came from Barger, who argued that the immigration raids did not meet the criteria of an emergency and could be unfair to landlords.
“I’m sure we will be challenged legally,” Barger said. The county’s moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in several lawsuits.
During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s vote, several people said they were against declaring a state of emergency if it would put a halt to evictions.
Daniel Yukelson, CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said landlords are “still reeling” from the COVID-era moratorium, which cost them “billions of dollars in uncollected rent and prohibited annual rent increases.”
He said housing providers are sympathetic to tenants and their family members affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities. But, he said, the association is not aware of anyone being unable to pay rent because of immigration enforcement.
“If local jurisdictions once again allow deferment of rent payments due to ICE enforcement activities, it will further worsen and harm the affordable housing situation in our community,” Yukelson said Monday.