California has given over $100 million to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, since 2019. CHIRLA is a left-wing NGO that has used its resources to advocate against deportations and craft progressive policies. The group's political arm, CHIRLA Action, is also radical and has programs aimed at creating a voter base from scratch.
An undercover visit to a CHIRLA get-out-the-vote event at its Los Angeles headquarters revealed that the group was hosting an official L. A. County voting station with Smartmatic voting tablets and a ballot drop box. A CHIRLA employee was found to be helping voters by going through their ballots line-by-line and relaying endorsements for various races, which could potentially violate state law.
The group defended its employee's conduct, stating that its staff are trained to give clear and accurate guidance to voters. However, the incident has raised concerns that CHIRLA may have crossed the line between charitable work and partisan politics.
The incident has sparked calls for U. S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to take action against CHIRLA, potentially stripping the group of its nonprofit status if it is found to have violated federal regulations. CHIRLA has a history of riding the edge between charitable work and partisan politics, and this latest incident may have consequences for the group's future.
The situation is still developing and it remains to be seen what actions will be taken against CHIRLA.