WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, immigrant-serving organizations across the nation faced baseless partisan attacks for their vital work supporting immigrant and refugee communities. Among these attacks is a misleading, politically motivated assault by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) on the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a respected organization that has served California for nearly four decades.

Additionally, we are outraged by the arrest and treatment of Senator Padilla yesterday, which follows a disturbing trend from last Friday’s arrest of labor leader David Huerta. These incidents reflect a dangerous pattern of authoritarian overreach, with Los Angeles emerging as a testing ground for the militarization of our democracy.

Said Nicole Melaku, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) executive director, “CHIRLA, a co-chair of NPNA, has served California for 39 years under both Democratic and Republican administrations, providing essential services to low-income communities and empowering countless grassroots leaders. These attacks, based on falsehoods and political opportunism, are not only reprehensible but also a direct threat to civil society organizations that uphold our nation’s values.

From responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to aiding families displaced by wildfires, CHIRLA has been a first responder and lifeline for vulnerable communities. We stand firmly with CHIRLA and demand an end to these malicious misrepresentations of their work.

Across the country, people in red and blue states alike are raising their voices against the militarization of our government and executive overreach, defending their First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly and free expression. We urge all Americans to remain vigilant against escalating authoritarianism and to stand with organizations like CHIRLA that serve our communities with dignity and compassion.”

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The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 86 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 42 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org.