Richmond struggles to allocate $1 million in immigrant relief funds

RICHMOND — More than 100 days after the Richmond City Council approved a $1 million allocation to provide legal assistance and other resources to immigrants under threat from Trump administration policies, the city is still looking for a partner to oversee the effort.

Shortly after President Donald Trump took office and signaled a ramp up in mass deportation efforts, Richmond councilmembers voted to help fund legal aid for residents lacking permanent legal status, know-your-rights campaigns and other resources.

Those funds have yet to be distributed, a serious concern for some community members who contended during a City Council meeting on Tuesday that the resources are urgently needed now as actions by ICE agents increase in California.

Among those who implored the city to more swiftly act were former councilmembers Jovanka Beckles and Melvin Willis, Community Crisis Response Program Advisory Board member Andrew Melendez and Community Police Review Commission Chair Carmen Martinez.

“As ICE raids ramp up across California, Richmond needs to be prepared. We cannot afford to be caught flat footed if ICE comes to our city. Our immigrant brothers and sisters deserve protection and support, not stalled promises,” Martinez said.

While appreciative of the $1 million funding contribution, speakers during Tuesday’s meeting argued that bureaucratic red tape was holding up important work during a time when many living in Richmond are living in fear that they or their family members may be detained by federal officials.

Of the city’s roughly 115,300 residents, about 34.5% are foreign born, according to U.S. Census data. About 56.6% of the city’s immigrants are not naturalized citizens, according to the American Community Survey, an annual demographics report produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Four people were taken into ICE custody last week after appearing at the Concord Immigration Court, prompting a protest, Willis and Melendez noted.

City Manager Shasa Curl said during the meeting and in an email Tuesday that the city has tried to find an organization to be responsible for issuing the $1 million to other local nonprofits already providing resources to immigrants.

City staff issued two requests for proposals in March and May seeking a fiscal sponsor, but received no responses to the first request and only one response from the second, an out-of-state organization, Curl said.

“Staff has been working diligently,” Curl said. “Unfortunately, not everyone is inclined to always want to partner with us for professional services, so we’ll do our best, as always.”

The staff is seeking to partner with Stand Together Contra Costa, an immigrant focused organization providing rapid response support, legal resources and education programming, Curl said in an email. She said she plans to return to the council on July 1 to seek approval to execute and negotiate an agreement for immigrant legal services while the council is in recess.

Stand Together Contra Costa, an initiative managed by the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender in partnership with the nonprofits Immigration Institute of the Bay Area and Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda, who co-sponsored the $1 million resolution with councilmembers Doria Robinson and Claudia Jimenez, noted in an interview Tuesday that the city has a responsibility to ensure funds are being properly distributed.

But he also acknowledged and shared the community’s frustration in the program’s delay. Officials had initially thought local groups would more quickly seek to lead the effort and were surprised none apply, Zepeda said.

Given the amount of time that’s passed and the escalation of federal immigration actions in the state, Zepeda said it’s likely the funds may need to be doubled or tripled to robustly respond to community needs, including possible expenses for children who have been separated from their parents and families.

“The current administration is coming at all of our communities hard and they’re coming out for our undocumented and documented immigrants,” Zepeda said. “They’re coming after elected officials, city governments. They’re coming after everybody, so this might not even be a big enough pot of money to help everybody who might need the help.”