Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LAUSD equips students with 'red cards' to defend their rights when encountering immigration agents
Red card distributed at LAUSD schools.
(
Andrew Lopez
/
Boyle Heights Beat
)
This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Jan. 24, 2025.
This week, schools across the Los Angeles Unified School district began distributing “red cards,” also known as “Know Your Rights” cards, to help people assert their rights and defend themselves if they encounter federal immigration agents.
The effort comes as the Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to conduct arrests in sensitive areas such as schools and churches, dismantling policies dating back to 2011.
The cards, from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, are red, about the size of a credit card and list directions on how to respond if approached by immigration agents.
Support for LAist comes from
Students at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights said they received cards on Thursday detailing their rights in both English and Spanish.
Brooklyn Avenue School teacher Elisa Fonseca holds up a red card distributed at LAUSD schools. Photo by Andrew Lopez.
(
Andrew Lopez
/
Boyle Heights Beat
)
Elisa Fonseca, who teaches at Brooklyn Avenue School in East Los Angeles, said she was glad to be passing out cards to students at her school where she estimates many may be a part of mixed-status families. She said her school received 200 cards and hoped they’d be getting more.
Dr. Rocio Rivas, LAUSD School Board member representing many Eastside schools in District 2, said she had urged the district to provide schools with timely, accurate information and resources for students and their families, including red card distribution, “regardless of immigration status.”
As part of its response, the district said it was providing training and resources to educators and also relaunched a 2017 initiative through a campaign called LA Unified 2025: We Are One, which offers resource guides, trainings and webinars for students and families.
You could print your own Red Cards here in several languages.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist