California’s Riot Subsidy: A Deep Dive into Taxpayer-Funded Chaos
As the smoke clears from the violent unrest in Los Angeles, one uncomfortable truth is surfacing: the very riots that shook the city may have been subsidized by California taxpayers themselves. With Mayor Karen Bass lifting the curfew and calling for unity, a growing number of lawmakers and watchdogs are asking a more pressing question: Who paid for the chaos?
$73.6 Million in State Funding—But to Whom, and for What?
According to government watchdog Open The Books, between 2023 and 2024, California funneled a staggering $73.6 million to groups that not only oppose immigration enforcement but actively worked to obstruct it. At the center of this controversy is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)—an organization that received $35 million in state funds during this period and is now accused of being a key instigator behind the recent LA riots.
CHIRLA’s state funding skyrocketed 174% in one year, jumping from $12.4 million in 2022 to $34 million in 2023. Most of that money—96% according to their own tax filings—comes from California’s public coffers. In effect, the residents of California are underwriting a machine that actively works against the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Activism Disguised as “Services”
CHIRLA uses taxpayer funds to run programs like:
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“Warriors for Justice”: A deportation defense unit
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“Wise Up!”: A youth program that trains high schoolers to become immigration activists
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The “Removal Defense Team”: Legal strike teams that intervene when ICE operations occur
Their website plainly states their mission to “challenge anti-immigrant legislation” and “reduce immigration enforcement,” all while enjoying multimillion-dollar government support.
A Statewide System of Resistance
CHIRLA is not alone. The $73.6 million in state funding is part of a larger infrastructure of resistance against U.S. immigration law:
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$24 million for deportation defense
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$37 million for legal services benefiting noncitizens
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$25 million more in new funding signed off by Governor Gavin Newsom in early 2025
These funds bolster a legal and political web of organizations that obstruct federal agencies and protect individuals in the U.S. illegally.
DHS Funding and the Federal Connection
Even the federal government has, at times, been complicit. The Department of Homeland Security previously awarded CHIRLA $1.2 million for “citizenship instruction”—a program President Trump halted in 2017. CHIRLA sued DHS when the last $100,000 of that grant was frozen, eventually forcing the contract to be canceled.
But the network’s funding goes beyond public contracts. Private foundations, municipal alliances, and the Los Angeles Justice Fund (a collaboration between LA County, the City of LA, and progressive donors) have helped blur the lines between public service and radical political organizing.
Mobilizing Against Enforcement—With Your Money
California’s Rapid Response Network, partially operated by CHIRLA and state-funded, deploys teams of lawyers, social media influencers, and community organizers to actively interfere with ICE operations. Their social platforms, also subsidized, broadcast instructions on how to report and disrupt federal immigration enforcement in real time.
This isn’t just legal advocacy. It’s an organized resistance movement—funded in no small part by the very taxpayers who are now footing the bill for property damage, police overtime, and shattered public trust.
Political Protection and Radicalization
In May 2024, Mayor Karen Bass not only toured CHIRLA’s taxpayer-funded “Immigrant Welcome Center,” but also appeared at protests that escalated into full-blown riots. Her public alliance with CHIRLA—while the group’s activities turn more political and confrontational—has raised eyebrows in both Sacramento and Washington.
CHIRLA’s activities also extend into criminal justice policy. The group backed California’s Proposition 47, which reclassified various felonies as misdemeanors, allowing criminal noncitizens to evade deportation. Their ads promoting Prop 47 were financed with public funds.
Congressional Oversight Begins
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and House Oversight Chair James Comer have launched separate investigations into CHIRLA and over 200 similar organizations that receive federal and state funding while supporting unlawful immigration. Their goal: to uncover whether American taxpayers are being coerced into funding organizations that erode national sovereignty and public order.
As Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez put it:
“There is zero excuse for our tax dollars to go towards these riots.”
