It’s the seventh straight day of immigration raids, protests, and a region-specific nightly curfew in Los Angeles, and a handful of L.A. County restaurants and organizations are showing up to support the immigrant and undocumented communities for the long haul. Across the nation, but particularly in L.A., undocumented individuals are an indispensable, often invisible part of the restaurant and bar industry and the food system as a whole. From the agricultural workers who pick and process our fruits and vegetables to the dishwashers, busboys, and other important jobs that help transform restaurants and bars into places of celebration, pleasure, and escape, immigrants are an essential part of L.A.’s hospitality industry. Through street food, often in the form of tacos, they contribute to L.A.’s vibrant, ever-shifting food culture, where affordable dining options are just as venerated as fine-dining institutions.
Of course, many people in L.A., including food and drink business owners, haven’t accepted this state of affairs without question. Beyond protests and other grassroots efforts to protect marginalized communities, hospitality operators are preparing their staff for potential encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Across the city, many restaurants and street vendors have closed their doors or paused operations while they figure out how to protect their immediate communities. Local advocacy group Independent Hospitality Coalition has even proposed and published a widely circulated set of suggested protocols for restaurant owners to follow.
With ICE projected to be conducting enforcement activities across Southern California in the next 30 days, a few restaurants and plenty of grassroots organizations are fundraising for the undocumented community. If you’d like to provide direct financial support to the immigrants who help make our dining and drinking culture possible, look to the restaurant and bar fundraisers and organizations below.
Restaurants and bars fundraising for immigrants and the undocumented
Baby Gee (Long Beach)
All week long, this trendy Long Beach Bar will be donating 100 percent of sales from the shot and beer special (“No ICE. Drink it Neat”) to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a longtime immigrant and refugee advocacy first established in 1986, as well as community members directly affected by immigration raids.
Cha Cha Chá (Arts District)
This stylish rooftop restaurant, which originally started in Mexico City, is offering its full food menu from noon to 6pm with a pay-what-you-can program geared towards anyone in need. Those with means are encouraged to pay it forward. “If anyone gets hungry out there, come by!”
Everson Royce Bar (Arts District)
One of the best bars in the city is adjusting its hours (2–7pm) to comply with the curfew. A portion of all bar proceeds will go towards Ground Game LA.
Lasita (Chinatown)
After temporarily closing dand then readjusting hours to daytime-only service (1–6pm) in light of Downtown’s nightly curfew, Lasita will be donating a portion of nightly proceeds this week to CHIRLA.
Mírate (Los Feliz)
As of Tuesday, June 10, a portion of proceeds from every cocktail at Mírate (one of the city’s best bars) will go towards a Raid Support Fund organized by Ground Game LA until further notice. This support fund will support immigrants who feel the need to miss work to avoid deportation, including grocery drop-offs and other needed supplies.
Organizations accepting donations for immigrants and the undocumented
This grassroots advocacy group in Koreatown is buying out local street vendors selling tamales and other street food in order to keep them off the streets and away from potential ICE raids. To find out where to donate (be aware of potential scams), check out Ktown For All’s Instagram post.
No Us Without You
Started during the early stages of the pandemic, this L.A. nonprofit aims to address food insecurity for undocumented workers, particularly in the hospitality industry. As of writing, No Us Without You is accepting general donations on their website. Currently, the organization is also looking for restaurant partners to deliver free meals to immigrant families personally.