Taxpayer-Funded immigration group operates 'Political Power Project' to 'build a voter base from scratch' - July 16, 2026 Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Director Angelica Salas on July 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images) The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, a Los Angeles-based immigration nonprofit that receives millions in government funding, is accused of establishing an immigration-to-elections pipeline across three entities, according to one state watchdog. CHIRLA maintains that the entities are separate. A CHIRLA organization in Mexico trains migrants planning to come to the U.S., while CHIRLA provides legal and naturalization services to immigrants in California, and its action arm endorses Democrat candidates. Meanwhile, CHIRLA and its action arm, CHIRLA Action Fund, partner on an "Immigrant Political Power Project" that seeks to build a voter base. According to its website, the Immigrant Political Power Project "targets new citizens, Latinos, and English learners to build a voter base from scratch, with enough power to sway state politics." The project, staffed by "five immigrant women of color," utilizes "teams of paid/volunteer canvassers/phone bankers, ranging in status from undocumented to legal permanent residents." The project spreads the message that "immigrants must participate in EVERY election." All the while, CHIRLA received more than two-thirds of its revenue from government grants in a four-year period from June 2021 through June 2025. Jenny Rae Le Roux, director of the CAL DOGE project established by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, cried foul. "It defies common sense that taxpayers would fund an organization that converts taxpayer funds into a political activist network for California Democrats, for the explicit benefit of [Los Angeles Mayor] Karen Bass and [Democrat governor nominee] Xavier Becerra," Le Roux, who is also a Republican candidate for Congress in California's 47th Congressional District, told the Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday. "The millions of dollars in public funding should be cut off, and a full investigation into the blurred 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) lines as well as the use of undocumented workers for political organizing is in order," she added. A spokesperson for CHIRLA said that the various entities are separate. "CHIRLA Action Fund, CHIRLA, and CHIRLA Mexico are all distinct legal entities," Jorge-Mario Cabrera, CHIRLA's director of communications, told the Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday. "While they share a mission of a just, inclusive society where immigrants are fully embraced, they are legally distinct entities with separate funding sources and activities. These different entities are fully compliant with rules set by the Internal Revenue Service and relevant election laws." What is CHIRLA? CHIRLA, an immigration group founded in 1986, aims to "advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees." Cabrera said CHIRLA, which is exempt from taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, "does not engage in partisan political or electoral activities." CHIRLA Action Fund, a separate 501(c)(4) entity, can engage in partisan electoral activity, and Cabrera said it endorses candidates and legislation that aim to "create a just society, fully inclusive of immigrants." CHIRLA and CHIRLA Action Fund launched a "joint initiative" called the Immigrant Political Power Project, which Cabrera said aims "to educate voters and promote democratic civic participation." CHIRLA's website also has a page dedicated to efforts in Mexico. Cabrera told the Daily Signal that CHIRLA Mexico "is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization established in Mexico operating under Mexican law." The web page for CHIRLA Mexico mentions offices in Tapachula, Mexico City, and Tijuana. It states that the group's effort involves organizing seminars to prepare migrants for an opportunity to enter the U.S. legally. California DOGE claims this involves a "civic pipeline" from immigration legal services to naturalization to voter registration to political mobilization. Cabrera told the Daily Signal that "CHIRLA does not assist non-citizens in voting in state or federal elections as they are prohibited from participating by law." "CHIRLA does provide resources and support to all immigrants, regardless of their legal status, ensuring they have access to necessary information, legal assistance, and community support," he added. Taxpayer funding. CHIRLA has received more than two-thirds of its revenue from government grants, according to IRS filings covering the period from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025. The $80.7 million it reported receiving from taxpayers amounted to 67.9% of its $118.8 million in revenue for those four years. CHIRLA's website states that Gov. Gavin Newsom designated CHIRLA as one of 12 organizations to administer a program designating $175 million in COVID-19 relief aid for "undocumented immigrants." The Department of Homeland Security awarded CHIRLA $950,000 across three grants under President Joe Biden. Two of the grants, awarded in October 2022 and October 2023, involved "citizenship education and training." The Los Angeles City Council District 13 Public Benefit Trust gave CHIRLA $195,626 on May 5 for "supplies & other services." Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents District 13 in the Los Angeles City Council and who has been endorsed by CHIRLA Action Fund, told the Daily Signal he is "proud" to support CHIRLA. "Our office is proud to support CHIRLA's work assisting Los Angeles families being torn apart by inhumane federal immigration policies, and any suggestion that supporting those families constitutes anything other than representing the interests of our constituents is false and unsupported by any facts or evidence," Councilmember Soto-Martínez said in a statement Tuesday. "CHIRLA undergoes regular, independent audits of our private and public funding," Cabrera, the organization's communications director, told the Daily Signal. He mentioned that CHIRLA received California grants to fund naturalization services, renewals of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, visa services, family reunification services, and more. He also mentioned funding for "education and outreach programs on anti-hate campaigns, water and heat advisories, and COVID-19 vaccine access and education." "Most of the funds that CHIRLA has received were subcontracted to 88 nonprofit organizations in LA County," Cabrera added. Becerra endorsement. CHIRLA Action Fund endorsed Xavier Becerra, the Democrat candidate for governor, on April 13, and it endorsed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for reelection six days later. CHIRLA Action Fund endorsed Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 and 2022. Newsom oversaw the state government, which awarded CHIRLA millions. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, deputy director of communications for the governor's office, told the Daily Signal that any suggestion that CHIRLA Action Fund's endorsement of Newsom had any connection to the grants later awarded to CHIRLA is "false." "California awards grants to qualified organizations to provide specific public services - not to support political activity or campaign work," Crofts-Pelayo said. "Organizations that receive state funded grants must comply with all applicable federal and state laws, and the terms of their grants." The campaigns for Becerra and Bass did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. Tyler O'Neil | Senior Investigative Reporter

A push to shield immigrant aid workers is raising 1st Amendment concerns. * Katie King, Los Angeles Times * 7 hrs ago SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The debate over immigration issues has reached a fever pitch nationwide, and Angelica Salas said it's putting her employees at risk. Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said her staff experiences harassment and death threats. "They ask themselves, what if someone who disagrees with our work can find where I live, will my family be safe?" Salas said, addressing state lawmakers at a recent legislative hearing. "People begin to self-censor; they step away from their work and some leave the field entirely." Salas was speaking in support of Assembly Bill 2624, which would provide privacy protections for those facing harassment for working or volunteering with organizations that offer legal and humanitarian aid to immigrants. The bill would create an address confidentiality program, like the one already offered to reproductive healthcare workers, and prohibit people and businesses from selling or posting images or personal information about the protected individuals on the internet. The measure has drawn ire from Republicans, who argue it could have a chilling effect on free speech and the media. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, dubbed it the "Stop Nick Shirley Act" and said it would prevent right-wing social media influencers like Shirley from conducting immigrant-related investigations in California. Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Alameda, who authored the legislation, said the proposed law would help keep people safe - but several 1st Amendment experts this week told The Times the bill could have unintended consequences. "There could be grounds for concern," said Jason Shepard, a media law and communications professor at California State Fullerton. "It reflects a legitimate and important state interest in protecting people from harassment and threats. But at the same time, this bill punishes the publication of information." The legislation defines "personal information" as anything that identifies, describes or relates to the protected individuals, including their names, addresses, telephone numbers, physical descriptions, driver's licenses, financial information, license plate numbers and places of employment. Shepard said the potential new law could be applied unevenly, and the language could have a chilling effect on investigative journalism. Given the polarized political environment, Shepard said the legislation also could prompt other groups to request similar protections, as those working in a range of professions are facing increasingly heated rhetoric or attacks. "This is not unique to people who are working in immigration support services; this really could apply to anybody engaged in public debate today," he said. Carolyn Iodice, the policy director for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, said the organization has noted an uptick in laws nationwide implementing privacy protections for those in certain professions. She pointed to a statute enacted a few years ago in New Jersey that protects the addresses of judges, prosecutors and police officers. The law was used in 2023 to block an editor with New Brunswick Today from publishing an article about the police chief living two hours outside of the city. "It was obviously newsworthy, but this officer was able to wield the law against this journalist, and that is the kind of thing we are worried about," Iodice said. "When you think about handing what could be a huge number of people the ability to just block anything from being posted about them online - it could easily be abused." David Loy, the legal director for the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, said the measure would censor the free speech of all citizens, not just those who defamed or threatened immigrant aid workers. "Someone might have a legitimate dispute with them and wants to refer to it online," he said. "But they could then basically silence [that person] from referring to them on a Yelp review or Facebook posts that has nothing to do with threatening them - and that is going way beyond the narrow exceptions of the 1st Amendment." Loy said the coalition reached out to Bonta's office and hopes to help tweak the bill. Meanwhile, the legislation continues to face scrutiny from Republicans. "We exposed CA Democrats for the 'Stop Nick Shirley' Act that silences citizen journalists who expose their fraud and corruption," DiMaio wrote this week on social media. Shirley released a viral video last year alleging fraud in Somali-run immigrant daycare centers in Minneapolis. He recently shared videos of himself in Sacramento confronting Democrats who support Bonta's bill. "The enemy is truly within," Shirley wrote on Instagram. "When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it's time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors." Bonta dismissed the assertion that the bill is intended to deter journalists, stating in a news release that "right-wing agitators" and "ineffective legislators" were intentionally spreading misinformation. Bonta spokesperson Daniel McGreevy said the bill has a straightforward goal of protecting immigrant service providers. He said the office is working to refine the legislation to address concerns and welcomes good-faith dialogue. The bill is progressing through the state Legislature and most recently was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. (0 Ratings)