When Rep. Luz Rivas took her oath of office in January, she didn’t anticipate that the most devastating fires in Los Angeles history would ignite that same week. She knew, however, that the move from the California State Legislature to Washington – with an unpredictable president and Republican congressional majority – would test her prowess as an elected official.
Just over six months into her first year as a congresswoman, Rivas has already faced a direct attack on her community, with the increase of federal immigration raids that began in June targeting her district and other Latino communities across the Southland.
“I feel like it’s been six years,” Rivas said.
“It is challenging to be a new member of Congress during this time,” she continued. “But that’s our job – to protect and defend our communities.”
Rivas said she is “all in” on defending the San Fernando Valley community and becomes more motivated every time she is back at home in her district.
On Monday, Rivas visited the City of San Fernando City Council to speak directly with councilmembers and constituents about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and what her office is doing to combat President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy.
“It’s important for elected officials on all levels of government to stand together against the threat that ICE poses to our communities,” Rivas told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol in an exclusive interview.
She noted that her office is partnering with local organizations, distributing “Know Your Rights” information, connecting constituents to legal aid and can help locate missing loved ones by calling federal facilities on behalf of residents who reach out to them for help.
Although witnesses have documented masked federal agents indiscriminately kidnapping people off the street and disregarding the rule of law, Rivas believes it’s still important for our communities to be informed of the rights available to them.
“If you don’t know that your rights have been violated, how do you know whether you can complain or file a lawsuit?” Rivas pointed out. “Someone should know if their rights were not respected. Like me – I knew that [my rights were violated] when they didn’t let me into the detention center.”
The day after federal immigration officials’ first show of mass force in LA, conducting multiple raids across the county, Rivas joined three fellow members of Congress in downtown LA at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building to exercise their right as elected officials to conduct an oversight visit of the federal detention center. The congressmen were checking on the conditions of detainees after reports surfaced of immigrants being held with limited legal access and restricted access to food, water and medicine.
They were illegally denied entry for a tour and blocked by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE personnel.
“My colleagues and I have been trying to get information regarding their operations and decision-making process before, during or after ICE raids occur,” said Rivas. “We will continue asking these questions and demanding answers.”
Rivas has also visited the Adelanto Detention Facility and has since joined colleagues in writing letters to DHS and ICE to demand accountability.
Rivas Calls for an In-Person Meeting with Immigration Authorities
Most recently, Aug. 4, Rivas drafted a letter to Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, and Rodney S. Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), requesting an in-person meeting to “conduct direct and constructive oversight to ensure accountability and transparency into the recent raids that have taken place in Los Angeles.”
“ICE has used intimidation tactics that have sown fear and chaos in communities,” wrote Rivas. “This sharp uptick in arrests and detainments by agents who are masked and in unmarked vehicles has not only instilled fear in communities, it has also not met the stated goal of this administration to target the ‘worst of the worst.’”
According to ICE detention data as of July 27, approximately 71% of those detained have no criminal conviction, and many of those convicted have committed only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
In the letter, Rivas questions how and who is conducting the often violent operations, since agents refuse to identify themselves with visible labels or identification.
“Without the ability to properly identify agents involved, there is no way to adequately file detailed complaints or requests for investigation. In addition, the lack of transparency is leading to confusion and misinformation about the use of ‘bounty hunters’ to conduct these raids,” Rivas continued.
The congresswoman highlighted multiple incidents in the district, including inappropriate use of force by CBP agents during a raid in Pacoima, and individuals complying with government orders at the Van Nuys Courthouse having their cases dismissed and being turned over to ICE.
“As an elected official not just representing the hard-working immigrant communities of the San Fernando Valley, but as someone who grew up here, I seek transparency and accountability from all federal agencies,” she concluded.
The Push for Legislation
Lawsuits against the Trump administration have made some progress in protecting immigrants and citizens alike from being targeted and racially profiled by federal agents. Last Friday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the federal government’s appeal, upholding an LA district judge’s ruling granting temporary restraining orders (TRO) that prevent the government from stopping individuals in violation of the Fourth Amendment and require the government to provide detained individuals with access to counsel.
“It’s a good step forward. I think it gave constituents or residents of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County hope that this could end,” said Rivas about the ruling. “But we need to keep our foot on the gas pedal.”
The Trump administration is expected to eventually appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the majority of the justices were appointed by Republican presidents. If the case is overruled, the onus would once again fall on Congress to create protective legislation.
Rivas noted that she has signed off on seven bills aimed at curbing ICE’s power and holding the administration accountable. These include the No Secret Police Act, which would require ICE, DHS and CBP agents to display proper identification and would ban the use of face coverings; the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would prevent federal agents from showing up at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and churches; and the Born in the USA Act, which would prohibit any funds from being used to implement Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship.
The congresswoman has also cosponsored a bill, the American Dream and Promise Act, that aims to build pathways to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients.
It’s been almost 40 years – with both Democrat and Republican led legislatures – since the last comprehensive piece of legislation for immigration reform was passed.
Being the minority party in Congress, Rivas acknowledged that passing these laws can be more difficult than when she was a State Assemblywoman working with a supermajority in the state legislature.
“The mission stays the same. The issues and priorities I have are the same as I had as a state legislator,” she reassured. “It’s just going to take longer to achieve them and work towards them in Congress.”
Rivas said she is learning from and collaborating with her colleagues, and is determined to keep fighting for the Latino communities in the San Fernando Valley.
“It’s obvious that these agents are our racial profiling in our communities, and that’s one of the biggest reasons that I’m involved – because it’s directly affecting the 29th district,” said Rivas.
Constituents who are legal permanent residents and even U.S. citizens born in this country have expressed concern to the congresswoman – afraid that if they are not carrying proof of their legal status or a birth certificate, they too will be unjustly detained simply because of the color of their skin or the language they speak.
“We can’t let Trump define who an American is,” Rivas said.
It would be nice if an elected official worked for legal American citizens and stopped working against the current administration when it comes to upholding the laws of the United States. We voted for president Trump to enforce these immigration laws. You, Ms. Rivas don’t work for illegals you work for tax paying American citizens, both republican and democrat start representing us!!