The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed its lobbying staff Tuesday to advocate for the preservation of state funding for the California State University Immigration Legal Services Project, which is facing the potential of its annual $7 million in funds being cut to $1.8 million.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision released on May 10 included about $33 million in proposed cuts to programs that fund local service providers offering free legal support for immigrants, officials said.
Among the programs is CSU-ILSP, which was started in 2018 by the California Department of Social Services and provides free legal help to immigrant students, staff, faculty and recent graduates.
All 23 CSU campuses have assigned immigration attorneys and paralegals who offer consultation and representation for matters such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, asylum, naturalization, family based petitions and more. The program also offers education and outreach programs. Students who are renewing their deportation protection and work visas are among those who benefit from the program, according to a motion by Supervisor Hilda Solis.
“Immigrants are the fabric of Los Angeles,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in support of Solis’ motion, which called on the county’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Division to lobby for preservation of the program’s funding.
In a statement after the vote, Solis said, “Los Angeles County has long worked to offer support for immigrant residents, especially DACA recipients, many of whom were brought into this country at a young age.”
She also noted that last year the immigrant community in the Los Angeles area contributed nearly $109 billion in spending and paid more than $38 billion in state, local and federal taxes.
“At a time when the county is facing a workforce shortage in many professional industries, it is imperative that we support these students to ensure that they can contribute to the Los Angeles economy,” Solis said.
Several people spoke in favor of the motion during the meeting. Among them were individuals who have benefited from and are currently a part of the program, including student Samantha Gomez, who told the board, “California State University Immigration Legal Services Project has helped me through my DACA renewal. They are currently helping me in applying for my green card.”