LA County Declares State of Emergency to Provide Rent Relief for People Affected by Immigration Raids

California has been among the hardest-hit states by ongoing federal immigration enforcement. According to data from the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley, and obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle. Concretely, roughly 5,500 California residents were deported during the first seven months of 2025, a 78 percent increase from the same period in the previous year.

As federal immigration authorities continue to target communities across the state, officials in Los Angeles County voted this week to declare a state of emergency that would allow local government to provide assistance to residents who have suffered financially as a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

The Associated Press detailed that the declaration enables the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to offer rent relief to individuals who have fallen behind due to the impact of the raids. In addition to financial aid for housing, the emergency status will help channel state funds toward legal support and other services.

Individuals in need of assistance will be able to apply through an online portal expected to launch within two months. Supervisor Janice Hahn said the raids have instilled fear in local neighborhoods, leaving many families without access to basic necessities after losing their primary source of income due to the arrest of a parent or other family member.

"We have residents afraid to leave their homes. We have constituents contacting my office because their family members never came home, and they do not know if they were taken by ICE or where they have been taken," Hahn said. "We have entire families who are destitute because their fathers or mothers were taken from their workplaces, and they have no way to pay rent or put food on the table."

The emergency declaration passed with a 4–1 vote, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger opposing the measure, arguing that the situation does not meet the threshold of an emergency and that the plan could place an unfair burden on landlords.

That concern was echoed by Daniel Yukelson, chief executive officer of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles. He told the Associated Press that landlords are still recovering from pandemic-era rent freezes, which cost them billions in lost income and prohibited rent increases.

"If local jurisdictions once again allow rent payments to be deferred due to ICE enforcement activities, this will lead to the further deterioration and loss of affordable housing in our community," Yukelson said Monday.

The Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies have had widespread effects across California. Of the more than 10.6 million immigrants living in the state, approximately 2.3 million, or about 20 percent, are undocumented. Experts say ongoing raids could have significant collateral consequences for the state's economy.

A recent study from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and the University of California, Merced, found that continued deportations and arrests may cost California billions of dollars.

Many undocumented immigrants in the workforce have stopped reporting to their jobs. CNBC reported that restrictions could reduce California's gross domestic product by as much as $278 billion, with sectors such as agriculture, construction and hospitality among the most affected.