CHIRLA "Educating, Organizing, Advocating"

ANGELICA SALAS is the director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and is widely regarded as one of the most gifted activist/organizers in the country today.

Since becoming CHIRLA's director in 1999, Salas has spearheaded several ambitious campaigns. She helped win in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students and established day laborer job centers that have served as a model for the rest of the nation. She led efforts to allow all California drivers to obtain a drivers license and is a leading spokesperson on federal immigration policy.

Under Salas’ leadership, CHIRLA and its partners across the country have built the foundation for the recent upsurge in immigrant rights activism. As part of a national coordinating committee, Salas helped convene a coalition of organizations in Southern California which have successfully mobilized millions of immigrants to demand comprehensive immigration reform including legalization with a path to citizenship, family reunification, and the protection of civil and labor rights.

One of Salas’ greatest accomplishments at CHIRLA has been the transformation of a coalition of social service providers into an organization that empowers immigrants to engage in advocacy on their own behalf. In this respect, she has blazed a pioneering trail among immigrant coalitions around the country and has propelled other immigrant rights groups to follow her lead.

Salas comes by her understanding of the immigrant experience firsthand. As a five year old, Angelica came to the U.S. from Mexico to rejoin her parents who had come to the U.S. to find work and better provide for their family.

One of Salas' outstanding talents is her ability to walk in many worlds and hold the big vision that unites diverse coalitions. She rises above divisions and difference. Describing her talents, Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of the Washington-based Center for Community Change, says, "There are not enough people with her gifts. She has unlimited potential. I have a slogan: 'Angelica for President.'"