Beleaguered L.A. immigrant advocates are now threatened with federal probes
A Republican senator from Missouri threatened an investigation on Wednesday into one of Los Angeles’ most established immigrant organizations, accusing it of “bankrolling the unrest.”
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights should “cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities,” said Sen. Josh Hawley in a letter to Angelica Salas, head of the organization.
“Credible reporting now suggests that your organization has provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions,” wrote Hawley, who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism. “Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities.”
Hawley did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Salas, a longtime immigrant rights activist who pushed for sanctuary state laws and has organized dozens of peaceful protests over the years, said the accusations are false and pointed to the years of peaceful organizing the group has done in Los Angeles.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-11/republican-senator-launches-investigation-into-immigrant-advocates-saying-they-are-bankrolling-unrest