LA coffee shops to support during the ICE raids
Melt ICE
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Los Angeles has had a wild week.
No, the city is not in flames from mostly peaceful protesting in response to increased ICE raids nor Trump’s decision to send Marines and the National Guard to “liberate” us from said peaceful protesting. But all this media attention is a great reminder to support our community as ICE threatens to tear families apart.
While millions of immigrants call the area home, these ICE raids disproportionately target LA’s Latino community. Residents from Mexico and Central America have been calling the city home for centuries and continue to shape much of LA and LA County’s culture. Put plainly: Tupac was right when he said, “it wouldn’t be LA without Mexicans” in his 1996 song “To Live & Die in L.A.”
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After seeing a couple LA coffee shops collaborating with immigrant rights organizations and speaking up in support, I decided to make a list of other local cafes doing the same. This is by no means comprehensive1, but I hope it can act as a starting point to finding things we can do to stand with our communities now and always.
The List:
Couplet Coffee
Couplet Coffee, known for their bomb drinks and very cute cafe interior, is selling an iced cafe de olla with vanilla cold foam until June 22 in collaboration with Barrio Drive, a Latino, immigrant-owned clothing brand . 20% of proceeds from all drinks will go to Border Kindness, an org that provides Mexican immigrants, refugees, and vulnerable communities with food, clothing, and medical and legal services.
If you hit up Couplet, I recommend their double strawberry matcha (it’s seasonal but hopefully it’s still there) or the iced cafe de olla! According to their instagram, the cafe de olla can be made as a matcha as well.
Coffee MCO
Coffee MCO is selling the Home Sweet Home, a hot cinnamon mocha latte with a vanilla cream center and cacao nibs. Do note that this drink is only served hot because, and I quote, “F*** ICE.” The drink is available until June 22 and all proceeds will be donated to CARECEN-LA, one of the biggest immigration rights orgs in the US.
This coffee shop has a huge (free!) parking lot in Ktown as well as plenty of seating if you’re like me and love to work/lounge in a coffee shop.
Tepito Coffee
Tepito Coffee is located in Pasadena’s Vroman’s Bookstore and serves up some of the best coffee in the area. They frequently host community events, such as hosting labor leader Dolores Huerta’s 95th birthday party, and have spoken up about supporting LA’s immigrant community at this time — co-founder Mike de la Rocha recently shared a really sweet video talking about the importance of taking time to rest and find joy in community in times like these.
I’m not sure if they have a newer specialty drink, but they launched a seasonal Si Se Puede Mocha in May with proceeds going to the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Definitely check them out this week and beyond!
Kismet Coffee
Kismet Coffee, a Latina-owned coffee shop in East LA, shared a post speaking out against the ICE raids last week. I haven’t been here yet and I’m not sure if they’re offering any specialty drinks, but I’ll definitely be stopping by soon! Their specialty drinks sound yummy and they don’t charge extra for alternative milks, which is always a plus.
Picaresca Barra De Cafe
Picaresca Barra De Cafe is located in Boyle Heights and is known for their Cafe De Olla, chilaquiles, and for hosting community events like Noche de Poemas, a night of poetry reading and live music. They’ve been hosting events and sharing art and resources on their IG stories the past week. Check them out if you haven’t yet!
Sidoh Cafe
Sidoh Cafe is a new Oaxacan cafe located near Sawtelle. They just held their grand opening on 5/31 and have been sharing resources on their IG stories. I had a hard time finding coffee shops in West LA who are speaking up against the ICE raids and/or donating to community organizations. Please let me know if there are any others you recommend in the area!
La Chula Cafe
La Chula Cafe is a coffee stand located inside Pasadena Roots, a Latina-owned plant shop. They’ve been sharing immigrant resources and event information on their socials. Their drinks are bomb and the plant shop is super cute so definitely stop by if you can!
K+M Coffee Roasters
I was doing research on TikTok and came across this list from @leyla.arellano and saw her recommend supporting K+M Coffee in Highland Park. K+M, also known as Kindness and Mischief Coffee, is a Filipino Woman-owned cafe with great drinks and brunch offerings. They recently limited their store hours due to dwindling crowds post the film strikes, so now is a great time to support and keep a local gem alive.
That’s all I have for now but definitely check out Leyla’s TikTok I linked above for more recommendations. Please let me know if there are any other coffee shops that I should check out!
And if you’re not local but want to help (or just don’t like coffee), consider donating to organizations like De Sol a Sol, Community Power Collective, CARACEN-LA, The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHRLA), ACLU Socal, or the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).
I’ve definitely missed some, but I also want to believe the majority of businesses here who haven’t said anything support our immigrant communities because they sure have no problem hiring them :)