Calls for a probe into the funding behind the Los Angeles riots reached the United States Senate on Thursday, with Josh Hawley (R-MO) coming out forcefully demanding answers.
For months, Los Angeles has had rioters donning pricey face shields, earphones, and other protective gear in preparation for battles with cops and immigration agents, all as a result of immigration raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Even established media leaders in the City of Angels have condemned the provision of such gear, which conceals demonstrators’ faces while protecting them from less-lethal crowd control measures employed by the National Guard and Marines.
It all piqued Hawley’s interest, and he said that he will conduct an inquiry into the violence as chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.
“Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isn’t spontaneous,” he wrote.
In the letter, Hawley addresses the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, a special interest group that got funds from the Biden administration and has been tied to several rallies. Critics allege that its participants were present at many violent demonstrations.
“While peaceful protest is a cornerstone of American democracy, these demonstrations have escalated into lawless mob actions. They have obstructed federal law enforcement, endangered public safety, and disrupted the rule of law. This lawlessness is unacceptable. It must end,” the letter states.
Hawley’s subcommittee, which has subpoena power, is requesting that Salas disclose all recorded contacts concerning protest preparation in the days leading up to the disturbances, as well as any financial papers relating to the purchase of equipment.
Grant applications, travel and hotel data, donor lists, and strategic media materials are also being requested.
“Failure to comply will result in additional action by this Subcommittee, including potential referral for criminal investigation,” Hawley concludes.
A separate report reveals one of the main groups behind the anti-ICE demonstrators on the streets of Los Angeles, which has led to many insulting and harassing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Laura Powell, a high-profile liberal attorney from California, took to X to share a screenshot exposing The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights as one of the “key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions.”
“If you are a Californian, the current LA riots are an example of your tax dollars hard at work. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights—CHIRLA—is one of the key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions. It’s an LA-based nonprofit with a history of taking radical positions on immigration; for example, it led a 2018 campaign to abolish ICE. It currently leads the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, which gathers intel about enforcement actions and deploys activists to respond,” Powell wrote in a lengthy post on X.
“CHIRLA has strong ties to the Democrat Party in California and has supported the election of Democratic candidates through its lobbying arm. It has a particularly close relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The organization also has a close relationship with organized labor in the state, which in turn is a major financial supporter of Democrat politicians. On Friday, amid rising tensions, CHIRLA held a rally protesting ICE’s enforcement actions and the arrest of SEIU President David Huerta for obstruction,” she added.
Powell continued, “The incredible part is that CHIRLA’s activities are primarily funded by California taxpayers. I obtained a financial audit that shows that for the fiscal year ending June 2023, it received $34 million from the state, mostly through the Department of Social Services, accounting for 72% of its total revenue. This was nearly a three-fold increase over the previous year.”
“CHIRLA also received a $450,000 federal contract in 2023, which Mayor Bass publicly took credit for helping secure. DHS froze funding in February, which prompted a lawsuit from CHIRLA. DHA then canceled the contract, and the lawsuit was then dismissed. Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex—now we face a nonprofit-industrial complex,” she concluded.