ONE BIG THING: TEXAS GOVERNOR SENDS MIGRANT FAMILIES TO LA ON 23-HOUR BUS RIDE WITH NO FOOD
What Happened?
A bus carrying about 40 migrants, including many children, arrived in LA on Wednesday after the Governor of Texas tricked these families into taking the 23-hour ride, reportedly without any food or diapers, even as most of them didn’t even want to come to LA (one individual even had a immigration hearing court date set in New York).
This did not catch us off guard, as the city has been planning for a situation like this for months. The Mayor’s office and our city departments mobilized along with nonprofit partners like The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) to provide food and other services to folks, along with helping them find accommodations and travel to their final destinations.
Why it Matters
This is just the latest example for an attention-seeking Republican Governor playing petty political games with the lives of vulnerable human beings.
My parents came here from Mexico in search of a better life for me and my siblings, just like these migrants are doing for their families. My father worked so hard to provide for our family that he became disabled. The fact that these cynical politicians refuse to acknowledge that the humanity in these people searching for the American Dream is despicable and disgusting.
More than that, their constant need to scapegoat marginalized groups shows their utter failure to actually govern effectively.
What's Next?
Our city will not be intimidated by these weak political stunts. As Chair of the City Council’s Immigration Committee, we are proud to lead the fight to make Los Angeles a Sanctuary City for instances just like this. Because this city doesn’t throw people away. We treat people with dignity and respect, regardless of where they come from.
Our office will continue to work in lockstep with city and nonprofit partners to make sure these families are welcomed and cared for as they travel to their final destination – whether that’s Los Angeles, or anywhere else.
Three More Quick Hits!
Check out our weekly recap video!
1. Legal Defense for Immigrants Facing Deportation Passes City Council
Our motion to expand the legal resources for all immigrants was approved by the City Council this week. This program called RepresentLA (previously the Justice Fund) will provide critical legal services to hundreds of immigrants across the city, supporting Angelenos facing deportation and keeping families together. Previously there were carve-outs that would leave asylum seekers, refugees fleeing genocide, and DACA-elligible kids facing removal out in the cold. Our new motion makes sure everyone’s included.
2. Motion to Reform Campaign Finance Passes City Council
This week, our motion with Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Marqueece Harris-Dawson to study the implementation of Democracy Vouchers in LA passed through City Council!
Democracy vouchers are essentially like political gift cards that every city resident would get to “donate” to candidates, and then they would redeem their vouchers to fund their campaigns.
In my campaign last year, I learned how difficult it is for a candidate who is not connected to the political establishment to run for office. Our current policies essentially prohibit people like working moms and essential workers from running for elected office, and this study will be a good first step into looking at alternatives to fix this broken system.
3. Pride in LA 
We had such an amazing time with the ACLU of Southern California, Janelle Monae, LA Pride, the Hollywood Partnership, and everyone else who came out to the Pride Parade last weekend! Here are some of the highlights from the day: