Los Angeles To Give Cash Assistance To Immigrants Impacted By Trump Raids
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a new initiative to provide direct cash assistance to immigrants impacted by the Trump administration's ongoing immigration raids.
The funds will be distributed as cash cards valued at "a couple hundred" dollars each and is expected to become available within the next week, Bass said
Newsweek has contacted Bass' office for comment via email outside of office hours.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history to address illegal immigration and border security. However, the policy has sparked concerns about its potential effects on the economy. The GOP's flagship immigration policy under Trump is causing people to avoid going to work amid fears over workplace raids.
California has become one of the key battleground states for immigration enforcement after President Trump directed ICE to increase operations in sanctuary states.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stands in front of a Border Patrol federal agent at MacArthur Park Monday, July 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stands in front of a Border Patrol federal agent at MacArthur Park Monday, July 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
What To Know
The cash assistance is intended for families directly impacted by the immigration raids. Mayor Bass highlighted the example of a family that faced potential eviction after one of its primary earners was detained by immigration authorities.
The program will be funded through private donations rather than city funds. Immigrant rights organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, will handle the distribution of the cash cards.
According to the mayor's office, the city will coordinate efforts between donors and distribution partners, though specific eligibility criteria have not yet been announced.
Bass likened the initiative to the Angeleno Cards program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provided emergency financial assistance to vulnerable residents in Los Angeles.
The cash cards announcement coincided with a new executive order signed Friday by Bass, directing all city departments to strengthen training and policies ensuring compliance with Los Angeles' sanctuary city law. This law prohibits using city employees or resources for civil immigration enforcement, except in cases of serious crime.
City departments have two weeks to outline updated protocols, Bass said.
The executive order also creates a working group to review the Los Angeles Police Department's approach to federal immigration enforcement and directs city staff to seek records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on recent raids. The measures are part of a series of responses from city leaders and the mayor to a federal crackdown that has entered its second month in Los Angeles.
The American Immigration Council projects that the mass removal policy could carry a one-time cost of $315 billion. Furthermore, deporting 1 million individuals each year could lead to annual expenses reaching up to $88 billion.
What People Are Saying
Bass said at a press conference on Friday: "You have people who don't want to leave their homes, who are not going to work, and they are in need of cash."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
32 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Can Trump's Patriot Missiles Help Ukraine Turn the Tide Against Russia?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States will send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine, part of a European Union–funded deal intended to bolster Kyiv's defenses against intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks and coming as President Donald Trump is voicing increased frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, Trump confirmed that Patriots "which they desperately need" would be sent, paid for "100 percent" by European allies. Trump, returning to Washington from New Jersey, added pointedly: "He [Putin] talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. I don't like it." Trump is expected to announce further measures on Russia in meetings with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and lawmakers this week. Germany has already agreed to finance at least two Patriot batteries, and Norway reportedly joined in funding additional units. Ukraine currently operates a small number of Patriots donated during the Biden administration but has pleaded for more to defend critical infrastructure and population centers. This photograph taken during sunset on March 6, 2025 shows Patriot air defence systems installed at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a logistics hub for US and European military aid to Ukraine, in Jasionka, south-eastern Poland. This photograph taken during sunset on March 6, 2025 shows Patriot air defence systems installed at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a logistics hub for US and European military aid to Ukraine, in Jasionka, south-eastern Poland. Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images What is the Patriot system? Developed by Raytheon Technologies, the MIM-104 Patriot—short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target—is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and tactical ballistic missiles. A valuable defensive weapon, a typical Patriot battery consists of radar and control units, power supply, launchers and support vehicles. The system has evolved since its debut in the 1980s. Early PAC-2 missiles used blast-fragmentation warheads, while newer PAC-3 missiles employ a hit-to-kill mechanism for greater accuracy. Depending on the configuration, the Patriot can engage targets up to 100 miles away at altitudes exceeding 14 miles. Those capabilities don't come cheap. Each battery costs about $1.1 billion, with individual interceptors running $4 million apiece, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'Not a game changer by itself' Mark F. Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS, told Newsweek the major effect of the U.S.-EU deal is intended to be more political than tactical — pressuring Moscow to enter ceasefire negotiations, which Trump emphasized during his press conference. "The amounts are significant — Trump talked about 'billions of dollars' — but it will take months for the packages to be put together," Cancian said. "I expect announcements of equipment packages of several hundred million dollars every few weeks." He cautioned that the focus on the Patriot system is disproportionate to its battlefield impact. "There is too much focus on Patriot. It's an important capability but designed to defend against ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. About 10 percent of Russia's attacking missiles are in those categories," Cancian said. "Most of the attacks come from the low-technology suicide drones. For these, Ukraine needs a wide variety of air defense systems, which will likely be in the packages." In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drones attack in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drones attack in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. AP Cancian stressed that Ukraine's needs extend far beyond air defenses. "It also needs weapons, munitions, and supplies across the board since its armies in combat go through these at a high rate," he said. The EU deal is meant to show the West's united front against Russian aggression, to force Moscow to "participate in ceasefire negotiations," he said. "But the real battlefield need is broader — Ukraine needs a wide range of air defenses for the drones and low-cost attacks they face daily, and they need weapons, munitions, and supplies of all kinds. Patriot is important, but it is not a game changer by itself." Why is the U.S. sending more aid now? Trump's decision to broker the EU deal reflects both a response to Ukraine's urgent pleas and his own frustrations with Putin's continued escalation in spite of White House efforts to bring him to the negotiating table. As Trump himself said: "We're not paying anything for them... but we will get them Patriots." The announcement also reverses a months-long freeze on U.S. weapons shipments to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told reporters after meetings with European leaders that he had received "all necessary political signals" for aid to resume and described his dialogue with Trump as "constructive and very positive." The German government confirmed that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will meet U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week to finalize details of the Patriot transfers, amid Berlin's continued refusal to send its long-range Taurus missiles over fears of escalation on European soil.
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Trump to end student loan payment pause: Borrowers have ‘a short window' to act, advocate says
Millions of federal student borrowers whose loans have been in an interest-free pause will see that relief come to an end within weeks. The Trump administration announced on July 9 that the so-called SAVE forbearance will expire on Aug. 1, and that enrollees' education debts will begin to grow again if they don't make payments large enough to cover the accruing interest. More from Personal Finance:Trump's 'big beautiful bill' slashes CFPB funding78% say Trump's tariffs will make it harder to deal with debtTax changes under Trump's 'big beautiful bill' — in one chart Nearly 7.7 million federal student borrowers enrolled in the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, the Education Department said in its press release earlier this month. "There is a short window before interest begins to accrue again for SAVE Plan borrowers, and they need to set aside some time to decide on their next steps," said Elaine Rubin, director of corporate communications at Edvisors, which helps students navigate college costs and borrowing. Here's what borrowers need to know about the end of the payment pause. Former President Joe Biden rolled out the SAVE plan in the summer of 2023, describing it as "the most affordable student loan plan ever." But millions of borrowers who signed up for the plan were caught in limbo after GOP-led lawsuits led to a block on the plan last year. The Biden administration put these borrowers in a forbearance while the legal challenges played out, and stopped interest from accruing on people's debts in the meantime. Forbearances are a period during which federal student loan borrowers are excused from making payments. The Trump administration has called the SAVE plan illegal. In the announcement ending the pause, it said the Education Dept. "lacks the authority to put borrowers into a zero percent interest rate status." The Biden administration "invented a zero percent 'litigation forbearance,' forcing taxpayers to foot the bill," the Education Dept. wrote. Borrowers enrolled in the forbearance will not be charged interest retroactively, the department said. Because the SAVE plan is no longer available and its interest-free forbearance is ending, borrowers need to move quickly to find a new repayment plan, experts said. Unfortunately, the options are limited. Currently, there is only one income-driven repayment plan available to borrowers: the Income-Based Repayment plan, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. (Income-driven repayment plans cap borrowers' monthly bills at a share of their discretionary income, with the aim of making payments affordable.) President Donald Trump's "one big beautiful bill" establishes another IDR repayment plan, known as RAP, but that plan won't be operational until next year. "The Department urges SAVE borrowers to consider enrolling in the Income-Based Repayment Plan authorized under the Higher Education Act until the Department can launch the Repayment Assistance Plan," the agency said in its release.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Taiwan Deploys HIMARS, Patriot, Stinger Weapons in China Invasion Exercise
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Photos showed Taiwan's military training with several newly acquired U.S.-made defense systems over the weekend during the self-ruled island's largest-scale annual military exercise, now in its seventh day. The systems made an appearance in the densely packed Taipei metropolitan area as part of drills aimed at defending the capital against a potential invasion by China. Why It Matters The 41st Han Kuang exercise is taking place against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own and has vowed to unify with it—by force, if necessary. This year's live-fire component is the longest ever, reflecting the seriousness with which Taipei views the threat. The United States is the island's primary arms supplier, though Washington has carefully maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would come to the island's defense. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Taiwanese Defense Ministry via email for comment. Taiwan's Patriot air defense system is deployed at a park during the Han Kuang drill on July 14, 2025, in Taipei. Taiwan's Patriot air defense system is deployed at a park during the Han Kuang drill on July 14, 2025, in To Know All three weapons systems were seen in public spaces, drawing the attention of onlookers. Patriot missile systems were set up by Taiwan's air force at a riverside park near Taipei Songshan Airport as part of a drill focused on protecting critical infrastructure from air attacks by China's People's Liberation Army, the Liberty Times reported. The missile launchers can be loaded with four Patriot II or sixteen Patriot III missiles. Patriot II is specialized for intercepting enemy aircraft and cruise missiles, while Patriot III is designed for defense against ballistic missiles such as China's Dong Feng 15. Taiwanese troops were also seen across the city carrying U.S.-made man-portable Stinger missile launchers, as well as vehicle-mounted variants, in drills centered on strengthening low-altitude defense during a simulated amphibious landing. 1 of 2 On Saturday, a pair of armored trucks equipped with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)—a precision-guided rocket artillery system primarily used for ground attack—were spotted in the central city of Taichung. HIMARS has demonstrated its effectiveness in Ukraine's defense against Russian forces. Military spokesperson Colonel Chen Lian-jia told the media that it would be critical to conceal the HIMARS from enemy satellites, aerial reconnaissance or even enemy operatives behind the lines until the systems are ready to fire. While the U.S. has begun rolling out several major weapons platforms ordered by Taiwan, the Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute estimated that $20 billion in backlogged orders remained as of the end of last year. What People Are Saying The Taiwanese Defense Ministry, on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "[Defense] minister Wellington Koo inspected the deployment of Republic of China Air Force PAC-2/3 [Patriot Advanced Capability-2 and -3] air defense systems, and the Republic of China Marine Corps air defense exercise. "Troops swiftly completed engagement procedures, defending airspace with twin-launcher and man-portable Stinger missile systems." Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, told reporters last week: "The DPP [Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party] authorities are harming Taiwan out of selfish interests [...] "We solemnly warn the DPP authorities that seeking 'independence' by force is a dead end." What Happens Next U.S. officials, including former Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Philip Davidson, have said they believe Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be capable of moving against Taiwan by 2027, though they acknowledged this does not necessarily mean he will give the order on that date. Trump administration officials have said Washington is committed to strengthening Taiwan's "hard deterrence" capabilities, but it remains to be seen whether this will translate into expedited deliveries.
