When Jessica Salas saw social media videos of protests against recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, she felt she had to do something, so she turned to a topic she knew well: beer.
Salas, a daughter of immigrants who has been in the beverage industry for 14 years, said she was heartbroken and angry by the Trump administration’s aggressive actions that the Department of Homeland Security says have led to more than 4,000 arrests in the Los Angeles area since June 6.
“My community was being attacked, and it was scary,” she said.
Inspired by other fundraising programs like the Native Land Beer Project and the Black is Beautiful Project, Salas started her own movement: a line of beers called Hasta La Raíz, which brings breweries from across the nation together to raise funds to support immigrants facing detention or deportation.
The idea quickly took root in Long Beach, where she’d lived before moving to Portland, Oregon.
ISM Brewing & Kitchen in downtown was the first to launch a beer as part of this project. Since then, over 60 breweries nationwide and one in the UK have joined in by launching their own. All participating breweries agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause
“I wanted to create something that would bring people together and give the beverage industry a way to take meaningful action for immigrant justice. As the child of immigrants, this is deeply personal to me, and I wanted to channel that into a project that builds solidarity and makes a real impact,” Salas said.
The money collected through this project is going to Freedom for Immigrants, a nonprofit that has been working to end immigration incarceration since 2012. Freedom for Immigrants offers a plethora of resources, including a national immigration detention hotline, help finding an immigration attorney, mental health resources, and tools for advocacy.
“I’m proud to just be a small part of it,” Ian McCall, the owner of ISM, said.
His brewery made a small batch of their Hasta La Raíz West Coast Blonde, a light and refreshing brew with a slightly floral aroma and hints of citrus. It sold out in about two weeks. McCall isn’t sure yet if they’ll make another batch.
ISM donated $1 for every pint of their Hasta La Raíz sold, totalling roughly $1,500 in donations.
Salas started working in the beer industry in 2011 and has witnessed firsthand how the beer community comes together to support people in need. Though she stepped away from the industry last year to focus on her mental health, she reengaged her connections for this project.
“I’ve been sober for a little over a year, but the beer industry still finds a way to pull me back, and I love it,” Salas said.
Salas found the first few participating breweries by reaching out to people she had worked with in the past to see if they would be interested.
When Salas contacted McCall, an old friend and former co-worker from her time working at Beachwood Brewing, he immediately said yes.
“ISM Brewing is all about family, friends and fresh beer. That’s our motto. So it really is vital and so important to me and to us as a business, that we live up to that, that we stand for our community whenever we have the chance,” McCall said.
Once the word was out, breweries started reaching out to Salas to ask how they could get involved.
Salas said there’s “always room for more people to join,” participating breweries are just asked to release a beer with the Hasta La Raíz logo by October and donate an unspecified portion of the proceeds to Freedom for Immigrants.
“I’m deeply grateful to every brewery, sponsor, and supporter who has joined. This project works because people believe in it and take action,” Salas said.
You can learn more at hastalaraizbev.org.