RepresentLA
RepresentLA provides access to legal representation for low-income immigrants in Los Angeles County who are facing deportation and meet program eligibility requirements, and for other vulnerable community members seeking immigration relief. The program is managed by the Office of Immigrant Affairs and is designed to protect due process, keep families strong, and make sure that vulnerable residents don’t have to navigate the immigration system alone. Services are provided through a network of nonprofit partners that support eligible residents across every region of Los Angeles County.
The program builds on the Los Angeles Justice Fund, a public-private partnership launched in 2017 that showed the need for expanded access to immigration legal services. After extensive community engagement and recommendations from nearly 100 stakeholders, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors established RepresentLA in 2021, and the program began serving clients in 2022.
RepresentLA was first launched as a public-private partnership with support from the California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation. Today, it is funded through investments from both the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles.
Through two lead nonprofit organizations and a wider network of legal service providers, RepresentLA offers legal representation, legal orientation, community education, and referrals to supportive services throughout Los Angeles County.
How RepresentLA Works
RepresentLA offers four key areas of support that assist immigrants at different stages of their immigration journey. Together, they strengthen access to justice, expand legal representation, and connect individuals and families with trusted community resources:
Who RepresentLA Serves
RepresentLA serves low-income Los Angeles County residents with household incomes below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. Services are available through two primary service pathways, depending on an individual’s immigration legal needs.
Why Representation Matters
Every year, thousands of Los Angeles County residents face immigration proceedings on their own. Immigration law is one of the most complex areas of the legal system, and people in these proceedings generally do not have the right a government-appointed attorney. When someone faces deportation without legal support, the impact can affect not only the individual, but also their family, workplace, and community.
RepresentLA expands access to trusted legal services through a countywide network of nonprofit providers, helping to protect due process, prevent fraud and scams, promote family stability, and ensure that eligible Los Angeles County residents do not have to navigate the immigration system alone.
Get Legal Help
RepresentLA accepts referrals from County and City departments, community organizations, and other trusted partners. To request legal assistance or schedule a Know Your Rights presentation, contact the Office of Immigrant Affairs: 1-800-593-8222
Capacity for attorney representation in removal proceedings is limited and services are subject to provider availability.
LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Program Leadership
- CHIRLA – The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
- Lead contractor for removal defense
- Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
- Lead contractor for vulnerable populations representation
Vulnerable Population Providers
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California
- labor trafficking & workplace exploitation
- Bet Tzedek Legal Services
- abused, neglected, abandoned youth
- CARECEN
- Temporary Protected Status
- Children’s Law Center
- abused, neglected, abandoned youth
- Esperanza Immigrant Right’s Project
- abused, neglected, abandoned youth
- Immigrant Defenders Law Center
- Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families
- Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley
- enforcement-impacted residents of El Monte/San Gabriel Valley
- PARS Equality Center
- asylum seekers
- Thai Community Development Center
- labor trafficking & workplace exploitation
Removal Defense Providers:
Limited-Scope Legal Assistance and Legal Orientation
- CAMUR – Centro de Asistencia al Migrante Urban y Rural: enforcement-impacted individuals and families
- CARECEN
- CHIRLA
- Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project
- Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Contact Us
Get help from the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) on immigration issues like:
Call Us
Visit Us
320 W. Temple St. Room G-10
Los Angeles, CA 90012
