Richmond struggles to allocate $1M in immigrant relief funds

RICHMOND More than days after the Richmond City Council approved a million allocation to provide legal assistance and other tools to immigrants under threat from Trump administration policies the city is still looking for a partner to oversee the effort Shortly after President Donald Trump took office and signaled a ramp up in mass deportation efforts Richmond councilmembers voted to help fund legal aid for residents lacking permanent legal status know-your-rights campaigns and other support Those funds have yet to be distributed a serious concern for certain group members who contended during a City Council meeting on Tuesday that the materials are urgently needed now as actions by ICE agents increase in California Among those who implored the city to more swiftly act were former councilmembers Jovanka Beckles and Melvin Willis Society Dilemma Response Activity Advisory Board member Andrew Melendez and Region Police Review Commission Chair Carmen Martinez As ICE raids ramp up across California Richmond requirements to be prepared We cannot afford to be caught flat footed if ICE comes to our city Our immigrant brothers and sisters deserve protection and sponsorship not stalled promises Martinez stated While appreciative of the million funding contribution speakers during Tuesday s meeting argued that bureaucratic red tape was holding up major work during a time when countless living in Richmond are living in fear that they or their family members may be detained by federal representatives Of the city s roughly residents about are foreign born according to U S Census figures About of the city s immigrants are not naturalized citizens according to the American Society Survey an annual demographics assessment produced by the U S Census Bureau Four people were taken into ICE custody last week after appearing at the Concord Immigration Court prompting a protest Willis and Melendez noted City Manager Shasa Curl stated during the meeting and in an email Tuesday that the city has tried to find an organization to be responsible for issuing the million to other local nonprofits already providing information to immigrants City staff issued two requests for proposals in March and May seeking a fiscal sponsor but received no responses to the first request and only one response from the second an out-of-state organization Curl reported Staff has been working diligently Curl revealed Unfortunately not everyone is inclined to inevitably want to partner with us for professional services so we ll do our best as perpetually The staff is seeking to partner with Stand Together Contra Costa an immigrant focused organization providing rapid response backing legal guidance and training services Curl declared in an email She mentioned she plans to return to the council on July to seek approval to execute and negotiate an agreement for immigrant legal services while the council is in recess Stand Together Contra Costa an initiative managed by the Contra Costa County Office of the General Defender in partnership with the nonprofits Immigration Institute of the Bay Area and Jewish Family and Area Services East Bay did not forthwith respond to a request for comment Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda who co-sponsored the million resolution with councilmembers Doria Robinson and Claudia Jimenez noted in an interview Tuesday that the city has a responsibility to ensure funds are being properly distributed But he also acknowledged and shared the population s frustration in the initiative s delay Representatives had initially thought local groups would more hastily seek to lead the effort and were surprised none apply Zepeda revealed Given the amount of time that s passed and the escalation of federal immigration actions in the state Zepeda announced it s likely the funds may need to be doubled or tripled to robustly respond to neighborhood requirements including attainable expenses for children who have been separated from their parents and families The current administration is coming at all of our communities hard and they re coming out for our undocumented and documented immigrants Zepeda noted They re coming after elected personnel city governments They re coming after everybody so this might not even be a big enough pot of money to help everybody who might need the help