A Defining Moment for Democracy: Angelica Salas on the Immigration Crisis
As ICE raids and warrantless arrests by masked federal agents take place around the U.S., Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), joins hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette to discuss the unprecedented scale of current immigration enforcement and its implications for everyone.
Angelica sheds light on what is happening on the streets and in processing and detention centers, including how individuals are being “disappeared,” due process is being denied, and the infrastructure supporting immigrant integration is being systematically dismantled. She also shares how CHIRLA and other immigrant rights organizations are fighting back through rapid response, documentation, advocacy, and in the courts. She offers hope through the remarkable story of how CHIRLA’s community stepped up to support them and the gathering tide of courage shown by advocates, activists, donors, and others.
In what she calls “a defining moment for our country” with implications well beyond immigration, she urges donors to support the ecosystem of immigrant rights, and shares her optimism that the U.S. can continue to be a country “built out of the many.”
Guest Info:
Angelica Salas is an immigrant from Durango, Mexico. She came to the United States as a child to reunite with her parents, who came to provide a better life for their family. Angelica comes to her understanding of immigrants and immigration first hand, she and her entire family lived in the country undocumented, experienced deportation, and were able to legalize their status. In 2008, Angelica became a U.S. citizen. She makes Pasadena, California her home, the first city she arrived at as a child. She is married to Mayron Payes, an immigrant from El Salvador, and has two children Ruben and Maya Payes.
Angelica joined CHIRLA in 1995 and became CHIRLA’s Executive Director in 1999. In her role, she has transformed CHIRLA into a mass membership immigrant-led organization that empowers immigrants and their families to win local, state, and national policies that advance their human, civil, and labor rights. She has grown CHIRLA into one of the nation’s largest and most effective immigrant rights organizations that organize, advocates, educates, and provides legal services to all immigrants. She has spearheaded ambitious statewide and national campaigns to expand immigrant rights. She has helped found organizations and coalitions to advocate for immigrant workers, youth, and families. Among her achievements include: winning in-state, financial aid and grant programs for California’s undocumented students, establishing day-laborer centers that become national models, winning drivers’ licenses for undocumented drivers, decoupling local police departments from immigration enforcement, expanding access to immigrant legal services and winning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Angelica is a state and national leader in the advocacy for immigration reform and immigrant justice. She was instrumental in the formation of Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), two of the country’s largest immigrant rights coalitions.
Angelica is a recognized grassroots leader that plays a national leadership role in all major immigration reform campaigns. She serves as a national spokesperson for immigrant communities and immigrant rights campaigns. Angelica has sought expert responses from Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Univision. Telemundo, NPR, etc. Recently, Angelica’s work led to the House of Representatives passage of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 and the Dream and Promise Act of 2021, a bill to give people with DACA and TPS a path to citizenship.
She graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Sociology in 1993. In 2007, Occidental College awarded her an Honorary Doctorate for her many contributions making her one of the youngest persons to earn such an honor in the college’s history.
Angelica serves on Board of Directors for California Wellness Foundation, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), America’s Voice, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, UNITE-LA, and is Board President of Californians for Human Immigrant Leadership Action Fund (CHIRLA Action Fund).
Credits:
Podcast Production: Rococo Punch
Artwork: Jay Kustka
Resources:
CHIRLA – The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
Raids Rapid Response Network (California)
Center for Migration Studies
National Day Labor Organizing Network
“Trump is Building His Own Paramilitary Force,” The Ezra Klein Show – The New York Times Opinion (podcast mentioned by Grace)
International Institute of Los Angeles