Hi Cal-pac,
As you may know, there have been several raids targeting our community and surrounding areas locally and nationally since June of 2025. Today, January 29, at approximately 10:59 a.m., ICE detained a hardworking street vendor and father of four without a warrant who has been working for several years just outside the North Hills Hispanic United Methodist Church Mission.
As many of you know, the Refugee Children Center is housed on this church campus, which for years has been a beacon of light and hope for our community. Today, we were all visibly shaken. Immediately after learning that ICE was present on church property, we activated our safety protocols. Families were deeply and emotionally affected, and we did our best to remain calm and grounded while prioritizing everyone’s safety.
As word spread, rapid response efforts mobilized quickly. Trusted volunteers and partners from the Community Self-Defense Coalition, West LA Rapid Response, Brown Berets, and members of the United Methodist Church Immigration Task Force and several volunteers arrived to support in every way possible. This included patrolling the area for several hours, standing guard at the gates, providing transportation to families, and helping pick up children from school. Our inter-agency community truly came together in a powerful way.
Still, we are all shaken. These raids are increasingly aggressive and violent, and today they hit very close to home with the detention of a beloved community member.
Many of you have reached out asking how you can support. Here are a few immediate ways:
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Donate to the legal defense fund that will directly support Mr. Chavez’s spouse and children.
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Contribute to our Emergency Relief Fund, which helps provide food and urgent support to impacted families, and to our legal assistance fund, which helps families cover costs related to their immigration cases.
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If you are able to offer grocery or meal drop-offs, accompaniment, or emotional support, please reach out to us, we deeply appreciate it.
We anticipate a continued heavy ICE presence in the coming days. As a result, all RCC programming will be offered virtually or by phone for the time being to ensure safety.
Please help spread the word, and we urge you to call Congress and demand an end to increased funding for ICE at 281-306-4198. The terrorizing of our communities must stop.
Thank you for reaching out, standing with us, and keeping our community in your thoughts and prayers.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Mayra Medina-Núñez and the RCC Team
