Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
Rioters in LA now throwing fireworks at police horses.
Laura Powell
@LauraPowellEsq
EXCLUSIVE: Taxpayer-Funded Nonprofit Behind the Anti-ICE Riots in Los Angeles.
Over the past two days, ICE agents have conducted targeted operations across the Los Angeles region, detaining more than 40 suspected illegal aliens. These enforcement actions triggered large-scale demonstrations, some of which turned confrontational, with reports of vandalism, blocked traffic, and physical clashes with federal agents.
The unrest has prompted questions about who is organizing and funding these protests. One of the organizations at the center of the resistance to ICE is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a Los Angeles nonprofit that has long provided legal and advocacy services to illegal aliens. CHIRLA is known for radical positions on immigration--for example, it led a campaign to abolish ICE in 2018.
Yesterday afternoon, as clashes with federal law enforcement were heating up, CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas held a press conference during which she announced that the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network's hotline had received more than 50 calls reporting ICE activity and sightings of "men in military garb." LARRN is organized by a coalition of nonprofits, and CHIRLA plays a central role, using its main phone line as the hotline number. LARRN's hotline is one of the communication systems that allows legal observers, volunteers, and other activists to be quickly dispatched to the scene of immigration enforcement actions.
During her remarks, Salas referred to SEIU California President David Huerta as her "brother," highlighting CHIRLA's close ties to organized labor in California. Huerta had been arrested during one of the protests for blocking the path of an ICE vehicle, as shown by video footage released by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his unequivocal support for Huerta, claiming he was only "witnessing" the action, while Essayli announced his intention to file criminal charges.
For her part, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has defiantly opposed federal immigration enforcement in the city, stating on social media Friday, "We will not stand for this" and "No vamos a permitir estas acciones," ("We are not going to permit these actions"). She added that her office would collaborate with community-based organizations that serve immigrants. She has a long relationship with CHIRLA and bragged last year about obtaining federal funding for CHIRLA's programs. That grant is part of a broader stream of public dollars that the organization receives from government sources.
In fact, according to a financial audit submitted to the state, the CHIRLA organization received nearly $34 million in revenue from government contracts during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, with 96% of that funding from the State of California. That figure marks a sharp increase from the prior year, when it received around $12 million in government contract revenue. Agencies contributing to CHIRLA's funding during this period included the California Department of Social Services, the California Arts Council, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. Notably, as mentioned above, a DHS contract funded CHIRLA to provide citizenship instruction and naturalization services.
With $100,000 remaining on CHIRLA's contract, DHS froze the remaining funds in February. CHIRLA responded by suing. The court denied their motion for a preliminary injunction on May 29. This is one of two lawsuits CHIRLA filed against DHS this year. The other was dismissed for lack of standing and is on appeal.
To sum up how this works: Your tax dollars fund an organization that organizes efforts to directly interfere with the federal government's lawful exercise of authority. Then, through its lobbying arm, that organization helps get Democrats elected to office, who then repay the favor by ensuring increased funding.
This is the nonprofit industrial complex at work.
The California state government is also funding CHIRLA and other street terrorism groups.
Laura Powell
@LauraPowellEsq
If you are a Californian, the current LA riots are an example of your tax dollars hard at work.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Right--CHIRLA--is one of the key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions. It's an LA-based nonprofit with a history of taking radical positions on immigration; for example, it led a 2018 campaign to abolish ICE. It currently leads the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, which gathers intel about enforcement actions and deploys activists to respond.
CHIRLA has strong ties to the Democrat Party in California and has supported the election of Democratic candidates through its lobbying arm. It has a particularly close relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The organization also has a close relationship with organized labor in the state, which in turn is a major financial supporter of Democrat politicians. On Friday, amid rising tensions, CHIRLA held a rally protesting ICE's enforcement actions and the arrest of SEIU President David Huerta for obstruction.
The incredible part is that CHIRLA's activities are primarily funded by California taxpayers. I obtained a financial audit that shows that for the fiscal year ending June 2023, it received $34 million from the state, mostly through the Department of Social Services, accounting for 72% of its total revenue. This was nearly a three-fold increase over the previous year.
CHIRLA also received a $450,000 federal contract in 2023, which Mayor Bass publicly took credit for helping secure. DHS froze funding in February, which prompted a lawsuit from CHIRLA. DHA then canceled the contract, and the lawsuit was then dismissed.
Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex--now we face a nonprofit-industrial complex.
Teachers union communist Randi Weingarten is already pushing a new day of intifada on June fourteenth -- this Saturday.
@amuse
@amuse
INSURRECTION: Why is the former Managing Director of Blackrock and the President of the Teachers Union organizing a nationwide protest during the Army's celebration of its 250th birthday? Morris Pearl and Randi Weingarten are part of coalition of 200 far-left NGOs planning a so-called nationwide day of defiance on June 14th. Strange bedfellows indeed. With USAID funding no longer available and ActBlue effectively neutered Democrat NGOs are panicking and hope a nationwide protest can captures the hearts, minds, and most importantly the wallets of millions of Democrat donors.
h/t @DeAngelisCorey
Walmart heiress Christy Walton is promoting it:
Obviously, it's high time we bankrupted Walmart.
Here's one of the Hot Honeys who will be attending.