Podcast Summary: "A Defining Moment for Democracy: Angelica Salas on the Immigration Crisis"

Podcast: Giving Done Right
Host: The Center for Effective Philanthropy
Episode Date: September 25, 2025
Guests: Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the current immigration crisis in the United States, focusing on the experiences and advocacy work of Angelica Salas, leader of California’s CHIRLA. Salas shares eyewitness accounts of alarming enforcement practices, explores the erosion of rights for immigrants, and discusses the essential role donors and philanthropic organizations can play in defending democracy, civil rights, and the nation’s foundational ideals as a country of immigrants. The conversation is urgent, heartfelt, and deeply informed by lived experience and decades of activism.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Current Crisis: Lawlessness and Dehumanization (00:55 - 04:19)

• Disregard for Humanity:
  • “What I am seeing is a complete disregard for the humanity of a people who have contributed, who are contributing to this country… a total ignoring of the needs and the humanity of these individuals.” — Angelica Salas [01:36]
• Policy Shifts & Enforcement Escalation:
  • The breakdown of long-standing norms, such as avoiding immigration enforcement during natural disasters, instilled widespread fear—e.g., communities avoiding shelters during LA wildfires for fear of being targeted by ICE.
  • Transition from raids in homes (where rights could be asserted) to roving, warrantless street patrols and racial profiling.
• Excessive Use of Force:
  • “In the process of arresting individuals, actually beating them up and mistreating them in horrific ways.” — Angelica Salas [03:46]

2. CHIRLA’s Response: Organizing & Legal Strategies (04:49 - 08:38)

• Rapid Response Network:
  • Reactivated immediately post-election to monitor, document, and respond to enforcement activities.
  • Network now covers over 60 organizations and 1,500+ volunteers.
  • Hotline created for families to report detentions and access resources.
• Legal Aid & Impact Litigation:
  • Denied facility access led to lawsuits; CHIRLA helped secure court orders for attorney access and to address systematic denial of bonds for detainees.
  • Described difficulties in tracking people who are “disappeared” into the system, often transferred out-of-state.

3. The Systemic Context—Mandates, Messaging, and American Identity (13:21 - 23:12)

• Questioning the ‘Mandate’ for Cruelty:
  • “I don’t think that he had a mandate to be lawless.” — Grace Nicolette [13:56]
• Who Are We as a Country?
  • Salas traces U.S. history as a nation shaped by migration, now threatened by policies and rhetoric rejecting this legacy—especially towards non-white immigrants.
  • “Now you have a president…determined that…we’re only going to welcome white immigrants. Very, very clearly.” — Angelica Salas [17:51]
• Destruction of the infrastructure for immigrant integration: Citizenship education grants, refugee resettlement programs, and more have been systematically defunded or dismantled.

4. Threats to Civil Liberties & Implications Beyond Immigration (23:40 - 31:30)

• Authoritarian Tactics:
  • Reference to the high-profile detention of a student over campus protest writings as symptomatic of broader attacks on dissent.
  • “There is a strategy to normalize these operations. So suddenly you’re not questioning why the National Guard, military and federal police officers…are out there…as if it’s a military operation.” — Angelica Salas [29:12]
• First Amendment at Risk:
  • U.S. citizens documenting ICE activities have been arrested. Rights to know why you are being arrested, to see warrants or identify officers are consistently violated.
  • “All of these things have implications for all of us.” — Angelica Salas [27:58]

5. Philanthropy’s Role: Courage and Support for Civil Society (31:30 - 37:01)

• Call for Bold Giving:
  • “I think this is a moment where philanthropy has to be bold and do the opposite, which is to build it up…” — Angelica Salas [32:01]
• Community-Led Response:
  • Stories of churches, businesses, and individuals raising funds and organizing to keep CHIRLA afloat. Small donations, local fundraisers (e.g., Tacos Unicos organized a churro sale raising $16,000), and solidarity from immigrants themselves.
• Risks for Donors and the Need for Courage:
  • Recognition that foundations and donors face intimidation—but this is “a moment that we have to be courageous.”

6. The Power and Necessity of Courage (37:01 - 43:02)

• Compounding of Courageous Acts:
  • “Your act adds to somebody else’s act that is positive and that is affirming of the humanity of the people who are being impacted.” — Angelica Salas [39:19]
• Community Solidarity in Tragedy:
  • Moving story: Carlos Montoya, who died fleeing ICE agents, inspired high schoolers, faith groups, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network to support his family.
  • “There is another face of America that is compassionate, that is connected to its own humanity…” — Angelica Salas [41:38]

7. Angelica Salas’ Personal Migration & Activism Experience (43:02 - 49:36)

• Family Journey:
  • Salas and family fled rural Mexico, faced her mother’s detention and deportation, and relied on the support of immigrant advocacy organizations for legalization.
• Motivation:
  • “Unlike my mom and my dad, I was able to graduate from high school, I went on to college…it was in college that I really understood about our immigration laws.” — Angelica Salas [45:36]
• Impact through Organizing:
  • CHIRLA as a dues-based, member-driven coalition wining major victories in California: driver’s licenses, educational access, business licenses, and healthcare for immigrants.

8. Advice for Donors & Philanthropists (49:36 - 52:18)

• Actively Document and Leverage Networks:
  • Use your voice, status, and resources; “How do you provide your stance and where you stand in this moment?”
• Justice Is Who You Are:
  • “A person of justice is not the job they do, it is who they are.” — Angelica Salas [50:12]
• Tap Every Available Resource:
  • “This is the emergency. I think this is a defining moment for our country in terms of civil rights…What will our country look generations forward?” — Angelica Salas [51:29]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rights & Lawlessness:
  • “The disregard for constitutional rights, which have long been understood to apply to anybody in this country, regardless of their citizenship, is staggering.” — Phil Buchanan [04:19]
• On Impact of Enforcement:
  • “We realized the number one thing…is we couldn’t find them. We couldn’t find them in the system.” — Angelica Salas [09:30]
• On America as a Multiracial, Migratory Nation:
  • “It's rejecting a multiracial America and then…punishing individuals who have only worked and contributed over all these years.” — Angelica Salas [17:41]
• On Philanthropic Courage:
  • “If you’re not worried, then you’re not paying attention. So I think fear, concern is just so natural. But then from there we have to step into our courage, step into our abilities and the power we do have. Giving is something that is so supportive.” — Angelica Salas [32:34]
• On the Ripple Effect of Courage:
  • “Your act adds to somebody else’s act that is positive and affirming…you don’t have to be the most courageous person and do all, but it aggregates.” — Angelica Salas [39:19]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:55 – 04:19: The shift in ICE enforcement and its impact on communities
• 04:49 – 13:21: CHIRLA’s Rapid Response Network and legal battles
• 13:21 – 23:12: Challenging the false “mandate” for mass deportation; history and identity of America
• 23:40 – 31:30: Broader implications for civil liberties, abuse of state power
• 31:30 – 37:01: Philanthropy’s vital role, stories of local community support
• 37:01 – 43:02: How acts of courage and compassion add up
• 43:02 – 49:36: Angelica Salas’s personal immigration/activism journey
• 49:36 – 52:18: Advice for donors: be bold, document, leverage networks

Conclusion

"A Defining Moment for Democracy: Angelica Salas on the Immigration Crisis" is a sobering reflection on a precarious time for immigrants and American democracy as a whole. Salas exposes not just the harsh realities on the ground, but also the deeper questions of national identity, rule of law, and collective responsibility. The episode powerfully calls on listeners and donors to act courageously, to support the infrastructure of civil society, and to contribute—however possible—to preserving the ideals of inclusion and justice.

For resources on effective giving and episode notes, visit cep.org and givingdoneright.org.