Local legislators, academics and nonprofit leaders, focused on ways to better serve immigrants and empower them on a variety of economic and social issues, gathered last week at the fourth annual immigration summit in LA.

The two-day summit

at the California Endowment in downtown LA

centered

around the findings of the 2023 Los Angeles County 2023 State of Immigrants

(SOILA)

report which

the USCs of the University of Southern California

Equity Research Institute published last Tuesday. It was organized in collaboration with, among others, the California Community Fund and the Council on Immigrant Inclusion.

the

2023

The report found that the county has made historic investments

when it comes to assigning

resources to immigrants, who now make up a significant portion of the county’s population. It also identified growth areas that legislators and organizations should address in order to continue

with this

momentum.

LA Mayor Karen Bass

attended the event

proverb

who was present, said during op

the

events

closing panel that her office intended

to build out

the Office of Immigration Affairs by focusing on language access, inclusivity and

pay attention to

the growth areas of the city’s senior immigrants highlighted in the report.

There are many more things we must do,

mayor

said Bass

at the panel

. I’m surprised what all has to happen, but I’m ready.

LA County’s immigrant population is

3.2 million, accounting for more than

An

-third of the total population, and 7.1%

or more than 800,000 people,

to have

undocumented status

more than 800,000 people

found SOILA.

LA Counties The counties

the immigrant population has remained above 30% since the 1990s, according to the USC’s immigrant data portal, but has fallen slightly from

a highlight of

36% in 2000 to 34

% thirty-four percent

in 2021.

climbed up

Although immigrants exist among all ethnic groups

and racial

groups, the report found that Asian Americans and Latinos have the largest percentage of immigrants by group, at 57% and 43%, respectively.

both in

In the report and

in

at the top, discussions

about SOILA’s findings this year

emphasized the

divide difference

between expanding the welcome policy in Los Angeles

towards immigrants

other

That

from states like Florida and Texas, which have become more unfriendly

against undocumented immigrants

said

Manuel Pastor, director of the

USC Equity Research Institute

Director Manuel Pastor

.

We’re trying to both offset that contrast, but also encourage Los Angeles to continue to lead the way on these issues and also think about where there are shortcomings, Pastor said. There is a wide variety of things we can do to really show our leadership.

Several shortcomings need to be addressed to ensure immigrant inclusion, the study found. Limited access to language and technology are problems faced by many immigrant households: 28% of immigrants live in linguistically isolated households and 50% of

undocumented

immigrants

without documentation

do not have access to high-speed internet or a computer.

Barriers to employment, a lack of affordable housing and

a need for

more attention to diverse immigrant communities such as LGBTQ+ and

i

Indigenous groups are other factors

justify that the province should tackle the addressing

to ensure that immigrants can thrive in the province, the study said.

so duplication has gone up along with the last sentence above/AJ The immigrant population of LA County is 3.2 million, which is one-third of the total population, and 7.1% has undocumented status, over 800,000 people, discovered SOILA. While common among all ethnic groups, the report found that Asian Americans and Latinos have the highest percentage of immigrants by group, at 57% and 43%, respectively.

For Pastor, the county’s large number of immigrants and their economic contributions, as evidenced by SOILA, make the issue of

Immigrant

recording of everyone’s affairs.

Immigrants made up 40% of the county’s workforce by 2021 and contributed

$

10.4 billion in state and local taxes in 2019, the study found.

Our lives are affected by this, Pastor said. You may not be a member of LA County’s fifth undocumented or have an undocumented relative, but you must believe that one of those people is a friend of your kids at school, someone who provided you with food at a restaurant, or someone who takes care of your elder or your children.

Investments and community work

that has taken place

for nearly 20 years have begun to create a stronger infrastructure for immigrant integration in LA County, said Rosie Arroyo,

P

program

O

officer of

i

migration for the

nonprofit

California Community Foundation

a non-profit organization

.

Arroyo pointed to Represent LA, a program that has provided legal services to approximately 2,000 individuals

in the province

facing the threat of eviction

in the province.

The project, a public-private partnership between the City and County of Los Angeles, the California Community Foundation and the Weinberg Foundation, has

already

grown up

$

40 million from a combination of philanthropy and government funds, she said.

That’s a huge win for our region, Arroyo said. And it’s so important because it demonstrates the power in the billions to drive more meaningful change in our community when we work across sectors, when we work together.

conversations

facilitated in the two days of

at the immigration summit in LA

reflected proven

these ongoing collaborations and interest

when continuing

to expand the scope of their work. More than 300 participants attended the

top event

and participated in the many panels, which Arroyo said

also served as a celebration of celebrated

our diversity, our culture, our experiences, and really working together and building a community and a way to identify opportunities “how we can continue to work together.”

Together with

mayor

bass

Solos

other

CCF chairman

Antonia Hernndez, President of the California Community Foundation,

county LA County District 1

Supervisor Hilda Solis participated in the closing panel of the summit and spoke about the importance of

the district Province District 1

citizens to lead by example. solos

So

is noted

there is sometimes restraint of it

immigrants

are sometimes reluctant

to access government services

for over

afraid of

possible

implications

,

and insisted

what she said

non-profits and the county should take

That

note when

continue

to develop

scary

solutions.

We have to be flexible, and I think we have to do that through our actions and investments. So it also means you can’t just dictate it through a policy, Solis said

at the panel

. You have to influence it through cultural exchange, through funding and also by involving community organizations. Because I’m not doing this job alone. We do it in collaboration.