A Southern Los Angeles nonprofit that helps children stay away from gangs and drugs is feeling a terrifying crisis from recent immigration enforcement efforts, and the director is heartbroken and angry.
“We are problem solvers, but this is different. This is a crisis,” said Jose Esqueda of the Asian American Substance Abuse Program (AADAP).
Founded in the 1970s, this group now casts a wider ethnic net to address drug use in Asian communities around Los Angeles County, with Latinos and Black communities representing most of their clients.
Every summer, groups host special events in public places and give those families the opportunity to enjoy themselves while in touch with AADAP staff members who provide free counseling services. Events often attract more than 150 crowds and include attractions such as pool parties, “movie movies” and petting zoos. The first gathering of the season took place last week.
“Only about 25 people appeared,” Escuda said with a sad laugh.
He knows why. The client speaks directly to him and his counselor: They fear the safety of their families and their own lives after the viral video portrays critically armed migrants and customs enforcement (ICE) officers chasing, detaining and deporting allegations of immigration at gunpoint.
The event’s turnout and fear of Esqueda prompted me to speak with the Los Angeles City Council last Tuesday.
The “intersecting lines” he refers to is a measure of trust his clients have. That’s why they choose to stay away from summer events in public places.
“They don’t want to be separated from their children. They don’t want to be taken away from their homes,” he said.
He warns that drug and anti-Gin counseling services like those offered by AADAP will not only face fewer clients, but will provide less funding services over time if voter turnout continues to decline. It could have long-term impacts across LA County. There, drug and gang diversion programs have been a valuable part of public safety for decades.
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