LULAC ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF DORAL FAMILY EMERGENCY FUND TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FAMILIES IMPACTED BY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT

Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Joins With Influencer, Activist, Lawyer, and Philanthropist Carlos Eduardo Espina, LULAC Florida, and the Venezuelan American Caucus to Launch the Doral Family Emergency Fund, a Landmark Effort Putting Direct Cash Aid in the Hands of Families Left Behind

WASHINGTON, DC — The League of United Latin American Citizens today announced the Doral Family Emergency Fund, a partnership with Carlos Eduardo Espina, the most followed Latino creator in the United States, LULAC Florida, and the Venezuelan American Caucus to deliver emergency financial assistance to families in Doral, Florida, who have lost a parent, head of household, or primary wage earner to immigration enforcement. Espina is seeding the fund with a $50,000 personal donation.

"LULAC was founded in 1929 to defend the dignity of Latino families, and dignity begins at the kitchen table," said Roman Palomares, LULAC national president and chairman of the board. "When enforcement actions detain or deport a father and tear a family apart, the children left behind did nothing wrong, and neither did the mother who still has to get to work the next morning. This fund answers a simple question: Who stands with these families tonight? LULAC does."

"I have sat at kitchen tables with thousands of immigrant families across this country, and the fear is always the same: not only that someone will be taken, but what happens to the family the next morning," said Carlos Eduardo Espina, influencer, activist, lawyer, and philanthropist. "In Doral, that fear has become real for people who followed every rule. I am putting in $50,000 of my own money because these families cannot wait for a court date to feed their children, and I am asking everyone who follows me to stand with them. A donation will not stop a deportation, but it can keep a family in their home while they fight."

The fund responds to recent immigration sweeps in Doral that have removed breadwinners from their homes within minutes, including individuals with pending asylum cases who followed the legal process. While the legal fight for a detained or deported family member can take months, the rent, the electric bill, and the grocery cart cannot wait. The Doral Family Emergency Fund will provide grants of up to $1,000 per household for essential needs, including groceries and food for children; rent and utilities to prevent eviction while a case is pending; childcare so the remaining parent can keep working; and essentials such as diapers, formula, medication, and school supplies. Assistance is available only to families in Doral, Florida. The fund does not pay for legal representation or bond.

Beyond direct cash assistance, LULAC, LULAC Florida, Espina, and the Venezuelan American Caucus will work together to provide know-your-rights trainings, offer support to the community, and connect affected families with additional resources, including legal referrals and local services. The partners will also work with community members and local leaders to raise additional funds so the program can reach more families.

"We built this fund to move fast and help the families most in need," said Juan Proaño, LULAC chief executive officer. "Each application is reviewed by LULAC staff within five days, and aid is paid on an emergency basis. Carlos Espina put his own money in first and reaches more than 20 million people, and the Venezuelan American Caucus knows these neighborhoods and these families. Together, we can make sure a donation made this week becomes groceries and a paid rent notice next week."

LULAC will administer the fund and review every application within five days. Families apply directly through LULAC at lulac.org, where donations are also being accepted through GoFundMe. The site is available in English and Spanish.

"Our councils are in these neighborhoods. Our members go to church with these families, and their children sit next to ours in school," said Gustavo Rivera, LULAC Florida state president. "When a father is taken from a gas station in Doral, the whole block feels it. LULAC Florida will be the door families walk through to get this help, and we will make sure no one who qualifies is turned away because they did not know where to go."

"For years, the Venezuelan American Caucus has fought for Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian protections so that no Venezuelan and no immigrant would face this alone," said Adelys Ferro, co-founder and executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus. "Many of the families in Doral fled dictatorship and collapse, did everything this country asked of them, and still watched a loved one taken away. This fund honors the promise our organization was built on. A child in Doral should not go hungry because her father is in a detention center."

Espina, a U.S. citizen raised in Texas and the son of immigrants, initiated the fund, and made its first contribution, after years of traveling the country meeting with immigrant families. He serves as ambassador of the 2026 Latino Civic Engagement Coalition.

LULAC, LULAC Florida, Espina, and the Venezuelan American Caucus will hold a press conference Sunday, Sept. 20, in Doral, Florida. Details will be released in a media advisory.

Families in need of assistance and members of the public wishing to contribute can visit lulac.org

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization. Founded in 1929, LULAC is committed to advancing the rights and opportunities of Latino Americans through advocacy, community building, and education. With a growing network of councils nationwide, LULAC remains steadfast in its mission to protect and empower millions of Latinos, contributing daily to America's prosperity. For more information about LULAC and its initiatives, please visit www.lulac.org/.

About LULAC Florida
LULAC Florida is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, representing Latino communities from Miami to Pensacola through a network of local councils led by volunteer members. Combining grassroots community service with policy advocacy, LULAC Florida works to advance the economic, educational, political, housing, health, and civil rights interests of Hispanic Floridians. Its councils in Doral and across South Florida are the on-the-ground partner for the Doral Family Emergency Fund, helping families learn about the program and apply for assistance. For more information, please visit www.lulacflorida.org

About Carlos Eduardo Espina
Carlos Eduardo Espina is the most followed Latino creator in the United States, reaching more than 20 million people across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube with immigration news, know-your-rights information, and firsthand stories from immigrant communities. A U.S. citizen raised in Texas and the son of immigrants, he has spent years traveling the country meeting with immigrant families and has used his platform to give them accurate information and a voice in the national conversation. He serves as ambassador of the 2026 Latino Civic Engagement Coalition, a nonpartisan voter education effort led by LULAC and partner organizations. Espina initiated the Doral Family Emergency Fund and seeded it with a $50,000 personal donation.

About the Venezuelan American Caucus (VAC)
The Venezuelan American Caucus (VAC) was founded on the promise that no Venezuelan, and no immigrant, would ever face this alone. VAC has fought for Temporary Protected Status and other immigration protections in courtrooms and in the halls of Congress, helping win TPS, humanitarian parole, and a range of other protections for Venezuelans and immigrants at large, always working shoulder to shoulder with allied organizations. Through testimonies, lawsuits, town halls, and long nights, VAC turns dense legal language into something families can hold onto. For VAC, its mission and its fight have always been the same fight.