With widespread fears of federal raids affecting many immigrant, working-class communities across Southern California, local and nonprofit bookstores have joined widespread efforts to provide aid to those in need.
From hosting fundraisers and informational workshops, to delivering groceries to immigrants afraid to leave their homes, for fear of being targeted by immigration enforcement, bookstores across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire have rushed to help.
At Underdog Bookstore in Monrovia, volunteers showed up to pack grocery orders and other supplies to be delivered to local families in need, filling the store’s community fridge and pantry.
Organizers said that close to 700 families in need were served in the program’s first few weeks, as more ICE raids and arrests were reported across the greater L.A. region.
Over 1,600 immigrants were arrested for deportation since the wave of Southern California raids began in June, Department of Homeland Security officials said. The Trump administration promised to focus on violent criminals amid mounting pressure to raise deportation numbers.
“Our community is hurting right now so we are doing what we can to support our community. People are scared, people are in danger, so it was obvious we’d have to do what we could to help,” said Kealie Mardell-Carrera, board president of Underdog Bookstore, which became an official nonprofit last month. “Underdog has always been about being more than just a bookstore; it’s a community space.”
The organization works with nonprofit Matilija Collective, which operates a lending library and regularly hosts cultural workshops and events in El Monte. Both nonprofits partnered with Operation Healthy Hearts, a Hacienda Heights-based mutual aid group, to help coordinate local donations, pack, and bring groceries to immigrant families all over the San Gabriel Valley and broader Los Angeles County.
Jacqueline Villalta, founder and director of Operation Healthy Hearts, said the delivery system still has “hundreds” of requests.
“We’ve had an overwhelming amount of support of people bringing in donations, but the food is going faster than it comes. Even with the amount of support we have, there’s still more need,” she said.
Operation Healthy Hearts also organizes pop-up grocery and resource markets in Whittier, and offers anonymous delivery services with trained and vetted drivers.
Working with the mutual aid group, Mardell-Carrera said that high-demand items include eggs, milk, bread, fresh produce and meat. People also request toiletries and household items like pet food, baby items, and other essentials.
At Underdog Bookstore, volunteers putting together the grocery deliveries could only see the order number and number of people per household, plus any specific item requests, in order to safely protect people’s identities.
Duarte resident Heather Hickman has been volunteering weekly in Monrovia, packing and driving groceries to neighboring cities. She said that people impacted have all been appreciative of resources. One of her highlights, so far, has been seeing how the community comes together in times of rampant fear and panic.
“I couldn’t sit back and watch bad things happening, and just do nothing. I wanted to find a way to get involved,” Hickman, 30, said. “I think our actions send the message that a lot more of us are on the same page than not. A lot more people care about taking care of and protecting each other, than trying to shove people out.”
Though some Southern California bookstores had to cancel events amid growing community fear, some are choosing to help immigrants through fundraisers, education, and by providing space for diverse communities to safely connect, owners said.
LibroMobile, a hybrid independent bookstore, arts co-op and nonprofit in Santa Ana, hands out the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s “Know Your Rights” cards and signs to customers and other businesses. Among its many events, the nonprofit offers regular immigration workshops in its communal space.
For Executive Director Sarah Rafael García, the fight is “personal.” García has many undocumented friends, her husband was formerly undocumented, and many of the youth volunteers helping at LibroMobile come from mixed-status households, she said.
“It’s infuriating that this is happening. The hard part about seeing all this happen is knowing that some of it could have been prevented if we were all working for immigrant rights over the last few years — not starting in 2025,” García said. “I think it’s important for us to come together for our community.”
Despite reported low sales and funding losses, García said she closed the bookstore’s doors for a couple of days last month as reports of ICE raids in Santa Ana and across Orange County grew, in order to protect volunteers and customers.
LibroMobile also announced it was cancelling its summer open mic series in the downtown Santa Ana Artwalk, citing “recent attacks on our community… we may return when our community feels safe again.”
The bookstore also accepts donations — such as non-perishable food, toiletries and supplies — for impacted immigrant families, through the OC Mutual Aid coalition.
“We have an open door to everyone but ICE,” García said. “We’ve had a lot of neighbors come by, who we’ve never interacted with before. We’re actually communicating and checking in on each other.”
Latinx-owned Casita Bookstore in Long Beach, which cancelled several children’s bilingual storytime events, said on social media that its “shelves will always stand for justice, compassion and collective care.”
Outside of the shop along Fourth Street is a large sign: “Our communities thrive because of immigrants.”
In late June, the bookstore joined other small businesses in a global day of fundraising for the United for Immigrants movement. 100% of the store’s online profit was donated to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), with over $1,800 raised for immigrants facing deportation and detainment. The store hosted a recent “Know Your Rights” workshop with immigration lawyer Abogado Iván Foronda.
Alongside fundraising efforts, Casita’s latest recommendations and displays have also been related to immigration. Cards and tags in the store inform customers that ICE agents would not be let into the business without a judicial warrant.
“It’s hard enough to run and operate a small business, but many of our Latine and immigrant-owned businesses are now operating out of fear or closing their doors altogether. Our streets are emptier and our communities are less vibrant,” owner Antonette Franceschi-Chavez wrote on Instagram. “If you know of a place in your neighborhood owned, operated, or happily employes a higher immigrant population, you see their doors open, and you have the means, go in and buy something… If there ever was a time to try that street vendor on the corner, it is now.”
In the San Fernando Valley, Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural, a nonprofit-run small bookstore in Sylmar that spotlights Indigenous culture and education, hosted a bilingual community grief circle in June as a response to rising ICE activity in Southern California, and has taken part in mobilization efforts across the region. Store owners also recommend immigration related books, share related resources and toolkits on social media.
The bookstore was recently honored “Nonprofit of the Year” by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez (D-43).
Bookstore-nonprofit hybrid Café con Libros Press, in downtown Pomona, has also stepped up fundraising efforts. A recent “Buy a Book, Support Immigrant Justice” campaign donated 50% of sales to the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, owner Natalie Sierra said.
The group has also been handing out “Know Your Rights” information to immigrant workers since November, and keeps social justice-related books as part of its regular rotation.
“We stand in unwavering solidarity with our immigrant neighbors — documented and undocumented — who deserve the safety, dignity, and freedom to live without fear,” board members wrote in a statement on social media. “Café con Libros Press is more than a bookstore — it is a sanctuary (for) resistance. We remain committed to holding space for truth, liberation and collective care.”