The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 17, approved a motion to study the economic impact of stepped-up federal immigration crackdowns across many of the county’s 88 cities and communities.

The unanimous move directed the Department of Economic Opportunity to report back to the board in 15 days with an assessment of the economic toll of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the county, which have blanked the region over the last two weeks.

“These raids have targeted our immigrant neighbors in parking lots, Home Depot, grocery stores, car washes, swap meets, churches, and other places of work where people are simply trying to make a living,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who proposed the emergency motion with Supervisor Janice Hahn. “These are hardworking individuals, business owners, abuelitos, fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers whose removal have already had devastating consequences to our communities and our families.”

Reporting that more than 330 people have been detained since the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement began on June 6, the fear generated in Los Angeles County, where nearly one in every five Angelenos are either undocumented or live with someone who is, is a “man-made disaster,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell. She laid the blame on the Trump administration’s campaign of mass deportations, which the president said will make the nation safer.

That enforcement has led to dozens of workers detained by ICE officers in a series of raids that include in LA’s fashion district and at Home Depot parking lots in Southern California, including Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Irvine and Downey.

Todd Lyons, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his tactics last week against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. He has said ICE is averaging about 1,600 arrests per day and that the agency has arrested “dangerous criminals.”

The supervisors and many speakers appearing at the meeting or calling in to support the motion said most of those arrested in workplaces around the county are innocent. They are, they said, part of the immigrant workforce that is the backbone of the Los Angeles economy, not to mention a major thread in its cultural fabric.

The motion was proposed the same day Mayor Karen Bass lifted the curfew within downtown Los Angeles. The directive highlights the contribution of immigrants to the local economy, which is estimated at about $115 billion through taxes and spending power combined.

“At over $960 billion, the GDP of Los Angeles County would rank as the 19th largest economy in the world,” the motion states. “The Trump Administration’s hard-lined approach to immigration will impact the financial contribution the County provides to the State of California and to the entire United States.”

Looking at the economic outlook of the federal operations, with Hahn noting ICE agents appeared to be sweeping through Pico Rivera as she spoke, would deploy help and resources to the county’s small businesses.

Stephen Cheung, president of the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation, said the county boasts 425,400 immigrant entrepreneurs, generating $13 billion in business income.

Other panelists who spoke in support of the motion included Kelly LoBianco, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity; Rafael Carbajal, director of Department of Consumer and Business Affairs; and Rigo Reyes, executive director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Darryn Harris, chief government affairs and community relations officer at St. John’s Community Health in Los Angeles, submitted a written report about a raid the network of health centers and mobile clinics thwarted in Downey last week.

“Five unmarked SUVs—carrying ICE agents in tactical gear—approached our secured lot where we were actively seeing patients,” Harris said. “Our staff acted quickly. Our driver and security guard physically blocked their entry and refused to back down. No arrests occurred, but the fear was immediate and devastating. Patients fled. Trust was shaken. And care was disrupted not because of a lack of access, but because of the chilling effect of immigration enforcement in a health care setting.”

Since the raids began, Harris said their clients have canceled nearly one-third of medical appointments and more than half of dental appointments, posing a public health issue that affects everyone.

“Patients are too afraid to leave home, let alone sit in a waiting room, even if they or their children are sick,” Harris said. “That is the real-time consequence of what this motion is trying to address. And it is why we fully support the directive to gather data on the economic and workforce impact of these enforcement actions and to do so with urgency, transparency, and protections for impacted individuals.”

From street vendors too terrorized to sell their wares in street corners, to families too afraid to send anyone to food banks, and summer concerts in the park and free lunches programs seeing low attendance, the fear is growing by the day, said several supporters, including leaders of business groups, nonprofits, social service agencies, as well as clergy, politicians and representatives of the LGBTQ community.

“The last week and a half have brought undue trauma and instability to our residents in Los Angeles County,” Solis said. “The ongoing immigration sweeps have our workforce afraid to go to work, and likewise, our communities afraid to go out and support our beloved businesses.”

Passage of the motion will play a vital role in assessing the impact the Trump administration’s immigrant tactics on Los Angeles County’s workforce and local economy while mobilizing resources to connect working families and businesses with essential support.

“Now more than ever, we must unite and take care of one another,” Solis said.