Immigration & Immigrant Workers
Immigrants make key social, cultural, and economic contributions to the fabric of Los Angeles.
According to a 2021 report, despite making up 36.3 percent of Los Angeles’ total population, immigrants accounted for 51.4 percent of the city’s business owners and 71.7 percent of the essential workforce.
Despite their role as essential workers, thousands of Angelenos and Californians continue to be excluded from access to economic and government relief and key worker protections because of their immigration status.
The Los Angeles Worker Center Network (LAWCN) supports immigrant worker justice through its partnership with Bet Tzedek Legal Services, as well as through its participation in the Safety Net for All Coalition.
Bet Tzedek, a member of LAWCN, helps low-wage workers obtain fair wages and safe working conditions. Bet Tzedek collaborates with worker centers to educate workers on workplace rights and provide direct representation on individual and class action cases to help workers recoup stolen wages.
LAWCN is also an active member of the Safety Net for All Coalition, comprising more than 120 immigrant and worker rights organizations across California from regions including the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, the Bay Area, Sacramento, and the southern border.
The Safety Net for All Coalition organizes to fund excluded workers during unemployment, to build a resilient economy that works for everyone. Our vision is an accessible public unemployment benefit for all workers, regardless of immigration status.
Download the Safety Net for All fact sheet >>
