Councilmembers and community leaders told the Los Angeles City Council on Friday that a recent uptick in immigration enforcement activity is deterring people from using health clinics, food distribution sites and other services and is worsening food insecurity in multiple neighborhoods.

At a presentations block focused on enforcement and community response, Councilmember Park described teams distributing “know your rights” materials across the Westside and said clinics, markets and other community hubs were receiving fewer clients because people were afraid to come out. Genevieve Rote, chief executive officer of Westside Food Bank, told the council that food insecurity in Los Angeles is as high as 25 percent overall and rises to more than 35 percent in some Black and brown neighborhoods. She said one distribution site saw weekly visits fall from about 150 families to about 100 after reports of enforcement activity.

The presentations put local stories and data — including a RAND study cited by Rote — in front of the council to argue that enforcement operations have real, measurable collateral effects on hunger and small businesses. “People are afraid to come get the resources that they need,” Rote said, noting staff had set up mobile markets and home delivery in partnership with council offices to reach people reluctant to leave home.

Councilmember McOsker reported similar outreach in Council District 15, from Watts to the waterfront, and described confusion caused by inaccurate circulating reports. Councilmember Nazarian and others called for constitutional policing and accurate public information so residents will still seek care.

Councilmember Soto-Martinez and Aquilina Soriano Versosa, executive director of the Filipino Worker Center, said enforcement has targeted workplaces where workers are visible and hard to hide, including car washes and the garment district. Versosa said advocates had documented 38 car-wash enforcement actions since June 6 and 74 workers detained across multiple operations; she described cases where detained workers could not be located on public trackers and where families reported extremely poor detention conditions and limited access to counsel.

Councilmember Padilla said he planned to introduce a council motion after witnessing unmarked vehicles and agents at Van Nuys Airport. He told colleagues his office recorded the incident and had shared footage with the city attorney to support litigation.

City Attorney: Supreme Court ruling on 'birthright' order

The City Attorney briefly addressed the council about a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the litigation over a federal executive order on birthright citizenship. She said the opinion did not resolve the underlying constitutional question but limited the ability of federal district courts to issue nationwide injunctions. As a result, she said California remains covered by an injunction in a case in which the state joined plaintiffs, and she warned residents who rely on current protections to be cautious about travel outside jurisdictions where the injunction remains in force.

What it means for the city

Councilmembers and speakers asked the council and city departments to coordinate rapid response, continue mobile food distribution and home delivery, expand “know your rights” outreach, and ensure clear rapid‑response hotlines and legal support for families. Several councilmembers referenced existing rapid‑response networks and encouraged residents to report enforcement to hotlines so advocates can mount immediate assistance and legal help.

Ending

Speakers urged the council to sustain and expand partnerships with nonprofits that run food distributions and legal aid — a strategy councilmembers said will be necessary to prevent short‑term enforcement spikes from producing longer‑term increases in homelessness and hunger.