Smart, who owns the now-independent agency, which is certified as both minority- and female-owned, said Casanova is offering counseling support, mental wellness perks, and even a sound bath to help staff cope.
“Our vision is to be the most caring agency, and we have to prove that to our employees on a daily basis,” she said.
At Relevant+, a Hispanic-owned media agency in LA, staff are being offered fully paid mental health days. The agency also shared know-your-rights guides and immigrant protection resources from trusted organizations, including the Immigrant Defense Project and Informed Immigrant.
“We didn’t want anyone to ‘power through’ this moment,” said CEO Jonathan Patton. “We wanted them to feel seen, supported, and held.”
Engaging Clients & Community—and Speaking Out
Acento has been bracing for this moment since Trump returned to the oval office January, Broxson said.
Prior to the raids, the agency had already begun advising clients—including LA Metro, Banner Health, and Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)—on how to adjust their marketing campaigns to communicate safety and care in light of heightened fear among immigrant communities.
The agency advised clients to adjust in-market messaging to emphasize security and proactively assure people that their brands were supportive to immigrants, and not a risk.
“The fear pervades all aspects of your life,” said Broxson. “It impacts your purchase decisions… We had already started adjusting our shopping and purchasing habits based on an uncertain economy and the tariff war. It adds an extra layer.”
Other agencies are supporting their communities. Orci, for its part, is matching employee donations to organizations like CHIRLA, which helps detainees and their families. And Casanova//McCann is encouraging staff to use their three paid annual volunteer days now, while also developing a community-focused pro bono initiative.
For Relevant+, standing up is about speaking up. The agency underscored its mission to empower the U.S. Hispanic community in a LinkedIn post that emphasized how many of its team members come from immigrant families shaped by sacrifice and that cultural advocacy is core to its identity.
“When dignity is on the line, we don’t look away,” the post read. “It’s not about left or right. It’s about human rights.”
“This particular wave of ICE raids felt especially cruel,” Patton added. “And what hit even harder was the silence that followed.”
Staying Resilient
While agencies are doing what they can to support their talent in a turbulent situation, they underscored the role brands can play in showing up to support diverse audiences.
“This work can’t just exist when it fits a campaign cycle,” Patton said. “If you claim to stand with these communities, that has to mean something when it’s uncomfortable, when it actually costs something.”
Filipelli agreed: “To target U.S. Hispanics as an audience, to sell them products and services, but then turn your back on them when they’re being vilified in certain ways… just doesn’t sit quite right with me.”
As the protests continue on, all four agency leaders underscored the unique resilience of immigrant communities during times of crisis.
“The immigrant mind is resilient, is strong, is fearless—and we are staying strong for our people and our consumers,” Smart said. “And we’re not going away anytime soon.”