This week marks one year since immigration raids and enforcement operations began tearing through communities across Los Angeles and across our nation. For many of us, the last twelve months have been among the most difficult of our lives.
During this past year, we have witnessed parents separated from their children, workers detained on their way to work and on their way home, and families forced to make impossible decisions. Fear spread through neighborhoods, schools, churches, workplaces, and entire communities. Many of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones have spent the last year living with uncertainty, wondering what tomorrow might bring and whether the people they care about most would be safe.
Some families have lost loved ones. Others have lost jobs, stability, and peace of mind. Many have been forced to live in the shadows, carrying a burden that few outside our communities can fully understand. The emotional toll has been immense, and it continues to affect thousands of families every day.
At LAWCN, we want our workers, families, and supporters to know that we see you. We see the sacrifices you have made. We see the fear you have endured. We see the courage it takes to continue showing up for your family, your coworkers, and your community in the face of such uncertainty.
We have also seen something remarkable over the last year.
We have seen workers stand up for one another. We have seen neighbors open their homes and hearts to families in crisis. We have seen community members share food, resources, information, and support with those in need. We have watched people who were once afraid find the strength to speak out, organize, and defend their rights.
These moments remind us that while fear can be powerful, solidarity is stronger.
The legal fight continues as well. Organizations, advocates, community leaders, and impacted families have challenged policies and practices that they believe violate fundamental rights and basic principles of justice. Those battles are far from over, and many families continue to wait for accountability and relief.
Yet the story of this past year is not only about courtrooms, policies, or political decisions. It is also about resilience. It is about ordinary people who refused to surrender their dignity in the face of intimidation. It is about workers who continued to care for their families despite extraordinary obstacles. It is about communities that chose solidarity over silence and hope over despair.
History reminds us that progress is rarely immediate. Every generation faces moments that test its resolve, and every movement for justice encounters setbacks along the way. What matters most is not whether the path is difficult. What matters is whether we continue moving forward.
That is exactly what our communities have done.
One year later, we are still organizing. We are still supporting one another. We are still advocating for workers, immigrants, and families. Most importantly, we are still standing together.
While the challenges before us remain significant, we should take a moment to recognize what has already been accomplished. Despite fear, uncertainty, and countless obstacles, our communities have not been broken. We have continued to care for one another, defend one another, and fight for one another.
For that reason, we remain hopeful.
Not because the work is finished, but because we have seen the strength that exists within our communities. We have seen what workers can accomplish when they stand together. We have seen what families can endure when they support one another. And we have seen what becomes possible when people refuse to give up on justice, even during the most difficult moments.
To every worker, every family, every volunteer, every supporter, and every community member who has been part of this struggle, we offer our deepest gratitude.
Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for reminding us that even in the darkest moments, hope endures.
One year later, we are still here. We are still standing. And together, we will continue moving forward.