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LA Resource: Know Your (Immigration) Rights

Published on: 23rd June, 2025

On this episode of MHD Off the Record’s LA Resources, Los Angeles City Council Staffer, Chavonne Taylor, speaks with Ritu Mahajan Estes of Public Counsel about your rights regardless of immigration status, what to do during an ICE encounter, and how communities can safely support one another during times of increased enforcement.

Rithu Mahajan Estes is the Directing Attorney of the Community Development Project at Public Counsel. She leads the team providing pro bono legal and policy support to nonprofits, small businesses, street vendors, and community coalitions across Los Angeles County. Under her leadership, the project achieved a major victory in securing a groundbreaking settlement with the City of Los Angeles to eliminate discriminatory “no vending” zones and reimburse affected vendors. A former Supervising Senior Staff Attorney, Ritu brings deep experience in transactional legal services, impact litigation, and community organizing.

Resources:

  1. ICE FAQ for Small Businesses and Nonprofits: https://publiccounsel.org/publications/faqs-on-nonprofit-and-small-business-rights-with-respect-to-immigration-enforcement-ice/
  2. Public Counsel Immigrants' Rights KYR Information: https://bit.ly/KYR-immigration
  3. Public Counsel Family Preparedness Guides: https://publiccounsel.org/publications/a-guide-to-planning-for-your-childs-care-family-preparedness/
  4. LA Street Vendor Campaign Go Fund for Street Vendors Impacted by ICE Raids: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-street-vendors-impacted-by-ice-raids
  5. CLUE Justice Detained Immigrant Bond Fund: https://www.cluejustice.org/support-the-detained-immigrant-bond-fund/

Community Announcements

CHIRLA Immigrant Assistance Line

Call: (888) 624-4752

Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Languages: English and Spanish

Services include:

• Know-your-rights information

• Reporting ICE activity

• Case updates and immigration questions

• Referrals to trusted legal services

Visit: www.chirla.org/resources/immigrant-assistance-line-2

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Want to learn more about Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and LA's Council District 8? Follow @mhdcd8 on Instagram and sign up for the newsletter at mhdcd8.org!

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About the Podcast

MHD Off the Record
Dive into the heart of South Los Angeles with Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson on MHD Off The Record—where culture drives leadership and community voices lead the way!
MHD Off the Record takes you inside Los Angeles City Hall with Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Each episode explores the culture, politics, and policies shaping life in Los Angeles from housing and homelessness to city planning, public safety, and immigrant rights.

Focused on uniting neighborhoods across the city, the MHD Off the Record podcast blends political insight with community-driven solutions. Listeners hear conversations with civic leaders, activists, and community stakeholders that reveal how multicultural organizing, music, and personal stories influence the direction of Los Angeles.

If you’re curious about how Los Angeles City Council makes decisions, want to learn about city resources, or care about the future of South LA and beyond, this podcast gives you the context and voices behind the policies that impact Angelenos every day.

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Marqueece Harris-Dawson