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They designed the clothes: Housey clasped hands. A T-shirt that says, “We fight ignorance, not immigrants.” Graphic infused with the colors of a Latin American flag.
But profits didn’t get into my pocket. The money went to organizations supporting immigration.
These designers, who call LA home, could not ignore the impact on the community of President Donald Trump’s massive deportation plan (a central promise of his second term campaign).
The administration highlights immigration enforcement activities targeting enhanced offenders, but data from NBC News’ US deportation trackers found that as of August 1, 2025 in the US, only 29.1% of the 56,579 people arrested on ICE had been criminally convicted.
“What’s going on doesn’t feel like it’s following the general dignity of the world,” said Steven Mena, founder of Streetwear brand Menace. “When I walked southeast LA where I grew up, when the ice is in town, it’s palpable. That’s not…it feels like a profession.”
LA Brand Born X has worked with 15 other brands to design hoodies and t-shirts “protecting Los Angeles” and bring about a profit of about $150,000 to donate to Chirla (Coalition of Humanitarian Immigration Rights).
Part of the collaboration, Menace sold its own designs individually and donated $10,000 to the Immigration Defenders Low Center, Union Del Barrio and Carecen Central American Resource Center, which donated to friends whose families were directly affected by the immigration enforcement attack.
Mena runs the business from a warehouse in South El Monte. There, the rack is filled with a rainbow of a leather jacket and the design of a “humble T-shirt” that is his favorite medium.
He pointed out the roots of the working class in the fashion industry and how important undocumented labor is.
“If you dabble in streetwear and fashion, it’s literally impossible to be ignorant of this issue,” Mena said.
The working class within the fashion industry is hardly lost to brothers Ricardo and Eric Catua, who founded the luxury streetwear brand Decierto.
On 1,000 shy social media on Instagram, they still have other full-time jobs and float. Their parents are from Jalisco, Guadalajara, and moved to Santa Ana, Ricardo said. With seven households, mothers have always found ways to give back to the organization, even if they struggle to achieve their goals.
“You don’t need to thrive completely to help others,” Ricardo said. “It was brought to the way we grew up and we saw the world.”
They were able to donate $3,000 in profits to Chairah. Whether it’s the colour of the Mexican flag or dropping an “A” to “America” to read “us”, they make their presence shine through their clothes.
“Counter culture, protest, what you say when no one else wants to say, that’s in the DNA from the start of streetwear,” Mena said.
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