California is home to 10.5 million immigrants, and the nonprofits serving them said they have been stretched to the limit over the past few years.

Now a new fund called "Immigrants are Essential" has been established to combat burnout in the sector. The Weingart Foundation and the California Community Foundation have each contributed $250,000 to start the fund, which aims to raise a total of $1 million.

Rosie Arroyo, senior immigration program officer for the California Community Foundation, said the grants will help immigrants' rights groups in the Los Angeles area support wellness programs, therapy and more.

"Advocates express interest in receiving additional support by really helping to alleviate the caseload for individuals, coaching opportunities, also having a more flexible work schedule, compensated self-care," Arroyo outlined.

The idea for the fund stems from a report released in December, which found widespread burnout among workers in immigrant-serving nonprofits, leading to greater staff turnover. The report also noted the sector is stretched thin. There are only about five immigrant-serving organizations per 100,000 noncitizen immigrants living in Los Angeles County.

Arroyo pointed out researchers interviewed 106 staff members from multiple immigrant organizations. More than half of those surveyed said they feel financially insecure, and 43% said they lack sufficient savings.

"About 70% of those that were surveyed expressed just exhaustion, both personally and professionally," Arroyo reported. "Also, 60% of them are also feeling that emotional exhaustion."

The new fund hopes to start accepting applications from nonprofits later this spring.

A year after the death of detainee Charles Leo Daniel, a 61-year-old Trinidadian migrant, legislators and human rights advocates continue pushing to close Tacoma's Northwest ICE Processing Center.

Daniel died in custody in March 2024 after four years in solitary confinement. The University of Washington Center for Human Rights has reported human rights violations at the center, including medical neglect and unsafe conditions.

Rufina Reyes, director of La Resistencia, a grassroots immigrants rights organization remaining in contact with detainees, said they report poor sanitation and lack of drinking water.

"They don't clean, they don't have people to work inside," Reyes reported. "It's really bad."

In response to multiple lawsuits involving the processing center, Washington state lawmakers are pushing for increased transparency. House Bill 1232 aims to enforce stricter standards and make inspection findings public. Lawmakers opposed to the new bill argued because the center is run by ICE, it is a federal facility and not under the control of the state.

The center is designed to hold people whose immigration cases are in progress. La Resistencia noted some people there have agreed to be deported yet are still being held. Reyes pointed out there have been five hunger strikes already this year, and three people have refused food for the past week.

"There's some people on hunger strike because they want to be released or they want to be deported," Reyes noted.

Reyes stressed more planes have been arriving at the processing center than usual this month, bringing migrants from Arizona, Texas and Nevada and believes the increased activity, along with the Trump administration's goal of mass deportations, is scary for migrant communities living in the area.

People are afraid to go to their routine immigration meetings, she added, fearing detention. The center's contract with GEO Group, which runs the facility, expires this year. Reyes urged public pressure on state legislators to prevent its renewal and close the facility.


get more stories like this via email

As the Trump administration continues to implement aggressive immigration policies, many Hispanic residents in Florida, a key voting bloc for Trump, are facing increased scrutiny and fear of deportation.

Eliseo Santana, a Puerto Rican veteran and civil servant with more than 30 years of service to his community, is among them. Santana serves as regional manager for the Alianza Center and recently spoke out against the current climate of discrimination and the demand for documentation targeting Hispanic individuals. He expressed his frustration and demanded respect from all levels of government.

"I insist that my rights as a citizen of the State of Florida be upheld," Santana emphasized. "And that our legislators respect and leave me alone and stop making laws that would empower people to discriminate against me, to select me because of my looks, just because I'm Hispanic."

The Trump administration's recent moves to tighten immigration from Venezuela and El Salvador have further heightened tensions within Hispanic communities. The policies are part of a broader strategy to curb immigration and have sparked widespread concern among Hispanic Americans, many of whom feel targeted based on their ethnicity.

Santana is a U.S. citizen by birth and stressed Puerto Ricans are often unfairly targeted despite their citizenship status.

"There are 21 nationalities that identify as Hispanic, and in the state of Florida," Santana pointed out. "Puertorriqueno are the number one and Puertorriqueno, Puerto Ricans, are U.S. citizens by birth. It is important for everyone to recognize that because someone looks Hispanic does not mean they're undocumented or they're a criminal."

The Trump administration's efforts to tighten immigration policies have hit Venezuelan immigrants in Florida especially hard, many of whom depend on Temporary Protected Status to live and work legally in the U.S.

Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program for individuals fleeing conflict or disaster and has been a lifeline for Venezuelans escaping their country's crisis. However, the administration's push to roll back Temporary Protected Status protections has left thousands in limbo, fueling outrage among immigrant advocates and Hispanic communities.


get more stories like this via email

Social and economic disruptions are among the impacts reported by Minnesota Latino support organizations as they monitor the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts.

A coordinated response is underway to assist those affected.

Adhering to his campaign pledge, President Donald Trump is putting pressure on federal agencies to scale up deportations of undocumented people.

Analysts say the numbers haven't moved much, but it's expected the White House will keep adding resources for enforcement.

Ryan Perez - organizing director with the Minnesota group organization Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action - said with the administration publicizing arrests, there's an added level of fear.

"We have people that are afraid to go shopping, to go to their cultural markets and grocery stories, because they assume that ICE would target those places," said Perez. "And some of those impacts are economic, but a lot of those impacts are social, and they're affecting our social fabric. "

He said more than 90 organizations across Minnesota are now assisting with things like legal defense when someone is detained, or social aid for families suddenly left without an income.

The coalition also is maintaining a flow of information to community members to know their rights, in hopes people won't be as afraid to venture out.

Federal agencies involved say they're following through on a mandate from the American people for increased enforcement.

Perez said COPAL facilitates the Immigrant Defense Network, with teams showing up to enforcement incidents as they happen to ensure federal agents aren't violating anyone's rights.

"There are due process rights that people have as citizens of other countries, as community members living here, working here," said Perez. "And we're investigating those situations."

Perez pointed to a recent raid in Rochester where several people were detained, despite their attorneys saying they had no violent criminal records - a key motivation highlighted by the Trump administration in carrying out these efforts.

The individuals were eventually released, but community members noted the enforcement disrupted operations at a local restaurant.