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The anti-ICE protests and riots in Los Angeles brought heightened scrutiny on activist groups, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Union del Barrio.
CHIRLA and the other groups are now subject to an investigation by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO., through the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Internal Revenue Service is looking into any possible funding of “violent” acts, according to CBS News.
Hawley sent letters to the groups for an “alleged role in financing and materially supporting the coordinated protests and riots that have gulfed Los Angeles.”
“Credible reporting now suggests that your organization has provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions,” Hawley wrote in the letters. “Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct.”
The group runs a “rapid-response network,” which Salas mentioned in the press conference has been busy with the recent ICE arrest operations in the area.
“Yesterday, our raids rapid response network did not stop receiving calls until after 7 p.m.,” Salas said. “And so, there’s two kinds of reports. It’s the community is also very scared. So even if they’re not at an enforcement site, what’s happening is they’re witnessing everything.”
CHIRLA operates a “deportation defense” legal team, along with other immigration resources, according to its website.
“CHIRLA relies on the love and vision of our community to organize and build power among people, institutions, and organizations to change public opinion and craft progressive policies that promote human, civil and labor rights for everyone,” the group’s website states on its mission page.
President Donald Trump has claimed “paid insurrections” have played a role in the riots, as a legal battle plays out between him and the state of California for his National Guard troop deployment to the civil unrest.
Fox News Digital reached out to CHIRLA for further comment.
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The FBI told Fox News Digital earlier this week that if any evidence of a criminal conspiracy emerges, they will look into it.
“We’re investigating anyone who crosses the line from first-amendment protected activity to violence and are prepared to prosecute anyone who assaults a federal officer or causes damage to government property,” Laura Eimiller, media coordinator for the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, told Fox News Digital in an email at the time. “LAPD, as you know, is also making arrests for unlawful assembly. Obviously, any evidence of a criminal conspiracy will be investigated.”
The post Left-wing advocacy groups in the hot seat as anti-ICE riots trigger investigation: ‘Not protected speech’ appeared first on Fox News.
