July 1, 2025

Supervisors approve motion by Hahn and Solis to expand RepresentLA program

Los Angeles, CA – Today the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and coauthored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis directing the County’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) and Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) to explore increased funding and expansion options for the RepresentLA program, which provides legal services to immigrants facing deportation and affirmative immigration relief to other vulnerable individuals. The program was created by the Board of Supervisors and had previously been jointly funded equally by the County, the City of Los Angeles, and philanthropic sources. Recently the County assumed the greatest share of funding for the program.

“Our federal government has turned its back on our immigrant communities, so LA County is stepping up. Everyone, no matter their status, deserves legal assistance,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Immigrants who have been detained and their families need to know they’re not alone, and help is available.”

On Friday, Hahn visited with the owner of the Bubble Bath Car Wash in Torrance, where the previous Sunday masked ICE agents arrived, chased and violently arrested two employees. When Hahn visited on Friday, the two were still being held in federal custody downtown, and had yet to even receive a change of clothing. Hahn’s office was able to connect with the niece of one of the arrested employees and refer his case to RepresentLA.

“As immigration enforcement intensifies across Los Angeles County, our immigrant communities need us more than ever. Ever since I created Represent LA (previously LA Justice Fund) in 2016 during the first Trump administration, the program has been a lifeline—offering legal defense and a fighting chance to those facing deportation. But with recent raids pushing the program to its limits, we must act. I co-authored this motion because expanding Represent LA through CFCI funding isn’t just necessary, it’s consistent with our commitment to keep our communities safe, stable, and together,” said Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.

RepresentLA’s current structure and funding levels may no longer meet the need for legal representation since the current surge of ICE activity in LA County began. The motion directs OIA to explore ways to adapt the program to meet the reality of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement tactics by the federal government. Among other things, Hahn and Solis’s motion also calls for the County to re-engage with philanthropy to explore possible donations and grant sources. In a separate but related directive approved 4-0 with one abstention, the Board directed the County’s Chief Executive Office to report back with potential funding sources during the Supplemental Budget process, including the possible use of Care First Community Investment (CFCI) funds.

Since launching in April 2022, RepresentLA has provided full-scope and other valuable legal services to over 10,000 individuals. RepresentLA’s removal defense pillar has provided representation in court to 649 individuals, while the affirmative representation pillar has provided legal representation to over 1,100 individuals.