With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Farsi And Arabic Translators Currently Needed At LAX To Assist Detainees
People walk through the north concourse of the new Tom Bradley International Terminal during its unveiling at Los Angeles International Airport on March 6, 2013 (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
()
On Saturday afternoon, an immigrant legal aid organization made a public request for Arabic and Farsi translators to help them assist individuals currently detained at Los Angeles International Airport following the executive order issued by President Donald Trump yesterday. A number of longtime permanent residents of the U.S. from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are currently detained at LAX, according to Lindsay Toczylowski, the executive director at Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
The exact number of detainees remains unknown, and legal groups have been coordinating directly with families who are desperately awaiting loved ones at the airport. Toczylowski told LAist that they were trying to gather as much information as possible, and that the detainees included longtime permanent U.S. residents who just happened to be returning to the country today.
"I don't think we have a grasp yet of the actual numbers, there's just a lot of family and friends left without any answers, so we're trying to communicate with them," Meeth Soni, directing attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center told LAist.
If you can translate Farsi or Arabic and would like to volunteer your time, please contact the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. The organization has said that sending a Facebook message is currently the best way to quickly reach them (here's a link to their Facebook page).
Support for LAist comes from
Update:
Related: Here Are All The #NoBanNoWall Protests Happening In L.A. This Weekend
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist