Bay Area leaders create immigrant safety net fund: “We’ve got your back”

SAN FRANCISCO – Bay Area leaders and the nonprofit San Francisco Foundation have launched a new safety net fund for immigrants in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement policies on immigration and the promise of mass deportations.

The organizers of the Stand Together Bay Area Fund seek to raise $10 million to provide financial and legal assistance to families who have had a loved one detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often leaving them without the ability to pay for housing, food, caregiving and other needs.

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“We’re here to tell our immigrant community, ‘We belong here, and we aren’t going anywhere,’” Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Márquez said. “My family, your families, everyone around here, we built this region. We are the backbone. We are the infrastructure. And we continue to maintain it.”

The Stand Together Bay Area Fund has raised approximately $500,000 so far, and the San Francisco Foundation has pledged to raise an additional $2 million, with the hope of pooling contributions from lawmakers, individuals, faith communities and nonprofits. The fund will be administered by San Francisco nonprofit Mission Asset Fund’s immigration program ALMA. Immigrant families who have had a family member detained or deported can seek financial support from ALMA through direct cash assistance, rental support and mutual aid networks.

At Friday’s press conference with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Alameda County Supervisors Nikki Fortunato Bas and Marquez contributed $50,000 each from their offices. It’s the latest step by the pair of lawmakers to support the Bay Area’s immigrant community, which comes after founding the Alameda County Together For All Commission in 2025 to proactively respond to federal immigration policy changes.

“I’m the daughter of Filipino immigrants who came to this country seeking economic opportunity, and my grandparents came fleeing the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos,” Bas said at Friday’s press conference. “This federal administration is carrying out a mass deportation agenda. We see that they are spreading fear, causing trauma and separating our families.”

Since his return to office, President Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticisms of sanctuary policies in San Francisco and Oakland, which prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE and other federal authorities. Trump has claimed these policies have caused an increase in crime perpetrated by immigrants, but Bay Area leaders were fierce in their condemnation of that portrayal.

“Let me be clear, I reaffirm San Francisco’s sanctuary policies today and every single day. These are our city’s policies,” Lurie said. “They keep us safe, and they are not changing.”

Mahan emphasized that San Jose is a city of immigrants and that they are a source of the city’s strength. He noted that 40% of San Jose’s population was born in a foreign country, and that over half of the residents speak a language other than English.

“That doesn’t make them any less American. In fact, it speaks to just how deeply they love this country, and it speaks to the enduring power of the American dream,” Mahan said. “The fund we’re launching is a practical, common-sense solution to the very real fear many in our community are facing every day.”

Marquez was blunt in her response to President Trump’s immigration policies and the harm they have caused Bay Area’s immigrant families.

“I don’t care what that clown is doing in the White House,” Marquez said. “If you look around here, we’re here to tell our immigrant community, ‘We’ve got your back. We love you, we see you, and we’re going to defend you. And I promise we’re going to raise those $10 million.’”