WASHINGTON (TNND) — Los Angeles County officials voted to declare a state of emergency, giving them the power to assist residents who are said to have suffered financially from federal immigration raids in the city.

This will allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as a result of the crackdown on immigrants.

Immigration raids increased over the summer and have spread fear into immigrant communities, causing many to not leave their homes as much.

Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms. Some U.S. citizens have also been detained.

The local state of emergency also allows state money to be used for legal aid and other services.

According to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office, funds for rent will be available to those who apply online through a portal that will be launched in the next few months.

The motion could also be a first step toward an eviction moratorium, but that would require a separate action by the supervisors.

Landlords worried it could be another financial hit after an extended ban on evictions and rental increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The declaration was passed by a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger opposing.

Horvath and Supervisor Janice Hahn said the raids have spread fear and destabilized households and businesses.

There were more than 5,000 arrests in Los Angeles in late August due to the crackdown. Of the ten million residents in Los Angeles, about a third are foreign-born.

Many cities in the county canceled summer activities, including Fourth of July celebrations, due to safety concerns.

Since June, Los Angeles has been a battleground in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guard and Marines for more than a month.

“We have residents afraid to leave their homes, we have constituents contacting my office because their family members never came home and they don’t know if they’ve been taken by ICE or where they’ve been taken,” Hahn said. “We have entire families who are destitute because their fathers or mothers have been taken from their workplaces and they have no way to pay their rent or put food on their table.”

Last week, the five-member board voted 4-1 to put the declaration up for a vote at its regular Tuesday meeting. The sole “no” vote also came from Barger, who argued that the immigration raids did not meet the criteria of an emergency and that it could be unfair to landlords.

“I’m sure we’re going to be challenged legally,” Barger said. The county’s eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple lawsuits.

Several people said they were against the emergency declaration if it would lead to an eviction moratorium during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s vote.

Landlords are “still reeling” from the COVID-era freezes that cost them “billions of dollars in uncollected rent and prohibited annual rent increase,” said Daniel Yukelson, CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.

He said housing providers are sympathetic to tenants and their family members affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities. But, he said, the association isn’t aware of anyone unable to pay rent due to immigration enforcement.

“If local jurisdictions once again allow rent payments to be deferred due to ICE enforcement activities, this will lead to the further deterioration and loss of affordable housing in our community,” Yukelson said Monday.

Editor’s Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.