The progressive activist group at the center of anti-ICE protests in California received a majority of its budget revenue in recent years from California and federal government grants, state financial documents show. 

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) staged one of the first Los Angeles rallies last week protesting the ICE raids in the city, in part sparked by the arrest of the Service Employees International Union president who was accused of obstructing immigration warrants. 

CHIRLA rallied alongside other member groups of the L.A. Rapid Response Network, according to a public post on it’s Instagram account. The organization was joined by the Service Employees International Union and the LA teacher’s union, among other immigrant groups. 

“To our immigrant community: we see you, we hear you, and we will NOT stop fighting for you. We say NO deportations. NO to mass detentions. Families belong together. We belong here!” CHIRLA said in the social media post. 

After the initial demonstrations, which remained peaceful, the anti-ICE protests escalated over the weekend to include more than 1,000 rioters filmed assaulting immigration officers, burning self-driving vehicles, temporarily closing down at least one city highway, and throwing concrete rocks at law enforcement officers.

State of California financial documents show that CHIRLA received a significant portion of its recent operating budgets from both state and federal government funding for immigration services. 

“During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Organization received government contract revenue of $33,966,572 including $32,526,542 or 96% from the State of California to provide immigration related services,” the group’s most recent financials reads. A similar percentage of revenue from the State of California was recorded in the prior year’s statements. 

The Biden administration also awarded two “Citizenship and Integration” grants to the organization in 2023 for a total of $193,030. The federal grants were ongoing until earlier this year, when the Trump administration terminated them. The group was slated to received a total of $450,000 before the grant was ended. 

You can read the consolidated financial statements below:

“Under [President] Trump and [Secretary Kristi Noem] we terminated this in March,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted to X on Sunday. 

CHIRLA did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.

The group previously told the New York Post that it was not involved in the violent riots that took place over the weekend. A spokesperson said the group “organized a press event on Thursday” to protest the initial ICE raids and has “been sending legal observers to immigration courts and detention centers on Friday, Saturday and today as part of the LA Rapid Response Network.” 

But, “We have not participated, coordinated, or been part of the protests being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally cited above,” the spokesman said.