Council members and community groups flag ICE activity as barrier to food access; motion introduced to review protocols

Los Angeles City Council members and community nonprofit leaders told the council on June 27 that recent immigration-enforcement activity has prompted residents to avoid clinics, food distributions and small businesses — deepening food insecurity in affected neighborhoods. Council Member Monica Park said her office has documented increased fear in communities after multiple enforcement actions, and she introduced a motion asking city departments to review protocols and reporting around immigration enforcement operations.

"We have passed through communities handing out red cards, visited businesses, clinics, schools, markets and communities where our immigrants live, work and visit," Council Member Monica Park said during the presentations portion of the council meeting. "These families are afraid to come get the resources they need."

The Westside Food Bank told the council its client counts have fallen in some neighborhoods since enforcement actions increased. "For more than 40 years West Side Food Bank has provided nutritious food to anyone who needs it," Ashley Bridgward said. "We saw a drop — in one neighborhood we served 150 families before and…