
Immigrants, supporters march to California Capitol in protest of Trump administration's deportation arrests
A group of North Bay immigrants and their supporters began a march this weekend from Vacaville to the California State Capitol to add their voices to a growing wave of defiance toward the Trump administration's deportation arrests.
"It shows that the movement continues to grow because, despite Trump's failed attempts to try to scare the community, we're out here. We're taking to the streets," said Danny Selaya, an activist from Oakland.
They embarked on the journey on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon, they were walking along the rural roads near UC Davis. In all, about 350 people will have joined the march at various times in the roughly 35-mile trek to Sacramento.
"I really disagree with the perception that we have no power," Selaya said. "But here we have folks from all walks of life telling Trump that we won't take his attacks and we are fighting back."
Though it was planned far in advance, the protest march gained new significance as it came during a weekend of clashes in Los Angeles prompted by a large-scale arrest and deportation operation in the city involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies.
Renee Saucedo is a North Bay immigrant rights activist who said many of the people in the march were taking a gamble by even being there.
"What courage they have to do this long walk, to attend peaceful protests, knowing that they could be picked up at any minute," she said. "I think that this walk and the protests that are happening in L.A. and other parts of the country are really a culmination of many months of endurance and suffering."
In Palo Alto, Congressmember Sam Liccardo added his voice to a group of California lawmakers criticizing the president for sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles without a request from the governor.
"Leave urban policing to the experts. We don't need the military involved," he said at a press conference. "This deployment of National Guard troops is a reckless use of the very good and well-intentioned citizens who serve in our National Guard."
Back at the march, Bernice Espinosa saw what was happening as a crisis of the law. The former public defender said she is disturbed by the reports of ICE is arresting people at courthouses as they show up for their immigration hearings.
"This makes no sense. We ask for us to be a country of law and order, and yet when we follow the laws and do all the things that are supposed to be done, there is no due process," Espinoza said. "As an attorney, I swore to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. And that includes the president."
When the marchers reach the state capitol on Monday, they will be speaking to a largely sympathetic audience. But they will be adding their voices to a movement that they hope will reach a tipping point. But it could be a long journey to get there.
"So, I think you're going to have a lot more protests," Saucedo said. "I think people are going to stand up more and more and say, this is not right."
President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric helped him increase his vote across California when he won re-election last year, even though the Democrats still won the state. But opinion polls also show continuing high levels of support for immigrants in California as well as opposition to his administration's efforts to increase deportations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNN
25 minutes ago
- CNN
LA protesters and police in standoff as Trump doubles National Guard deployment
Update: Date: 18 min ago Title: Protesters outside US Embassy in Mexico City call for end to immigration raids across the border Content: Protesters in Mexico City staged a demonstration outside the US Embassy on Monday, calling for an end to sweeping immigration raids across the border. Video captured by Reuters showed people waving Mexican and US flags and burning an effigy resembling US President Donald Trump. 'We cannot remain silent as the Trump administration escalates its war on our communities in the United States,' said activist Alejandro Marinero from Migrant Organization Aztlan. 'Immigration policy is not a party issue, but a class issue. It is the tool of a system that seeks to divide us, exploit us and keep us in the shadows to ensure its profits at the expense of our humanity,' he told Reuters. Update: Date: 42 min ago Title: Thousands rally in San Francisco against ICE raids Content: Thousands of people marched through San Francisco's Civic Center and Mission neighborhoods on Monday night in protests that were 'overwhelmingly peaceful,' police said. Demonstrators rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and expressed solidarity with immigrant communities, CNN affiliate KGO reported. 'At the very end of the night, two small groups broke off and committed vandalism and other criminal acts,' the San Francisco Police Department said. Police said they detained multiple people who refused to comply with orders, made arrests, and are currently addressing one unresolved situation. 'I'm deeply concerned about what's going on in Los Angeles and all around the country. California, we are better because of our diversity, and for people to be torn away from school graduations, torn away from their children, that's not right. We have to come out here and tell people that's not right,' Holly Minch, who marched with a sign that read 'MELT ICE,' told KGO. The police said they coordinated with public safety agencies under the leadership of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to 'protect numerous First Amendment actions' in the affected neighborhoods. On Sunday, about 150 people, including some under the age of 18, were arrested near the Immigration Services building. Police said the arrests were made after protesters ignored dispersal orders and engaged in acts of violence and vandalism. Anti-ICE protests have popped up around the country, including in New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas and Louisville. Update: Date: 57 min ago Title: Law enforcement helicopters have been circling above protests, flight tracker shows Content: Helicopters from the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department circled the areas of Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo throughout the day on Monday, according to data from Flightradar24. Earlier in the night, several police helicopters and a plane deployed by the California Highway Patrol were flying over the downtown area. By midnight, only two police helicopters remained airborne. Since protests erupted over the weekend, authorities have maintained a consistent presence in the air, with multiple helicopters sighted above protest zones all day yesterday. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: In pictures: Protesters clash with police in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday Content: Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Who is protesting in LA? Content: The protests appear divided into separate groups: progressive citizens who felt called to defend the rights of the undocumented, and protesters who appeared determined to drag the city into violent chaos. A senior law enforcement source told CNN that intelligence analysts have been conducting assessments on the crowds that gathered Sunday night. They found the many of the protesters were motivated by the recent immigration raids and disdain for the federal government's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. But some protesters, the intelligence source said, fit law enforcement profiles of so-called 'professional rioters,' who continually seek out confrontation with law enforcement. Defending 'La Raza': Unión del Barrio, an organization whose members are dedicated to defending the rights of 'la raza' — or Mexican and indigenous people — within the US, praised the efforts to fight back against ICE and other agencies. The Los Angeles community has 'the moral authority and universal right to defend our people from kidnappings and family separation,' a spokesman said. Toll on vulnerable communities: After being informed ICE agents were questioning workers at a Pasadena hotel, Pablo Alvarado, the co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, began calling for protests to protect vulnerable immigrant communities throughout the city. 'The Pasadena community showed up in large numbers and the message was loud and clear, we don't want to see your armored vehicles, men in masks coming to our communities to pick people up to rip families apart.' But, Alvarado added, he felt the violence that spread throughout the city in response to the raids was tainting their cause. Read the full story. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Analysis: LA's crisis rests on what Trump does next Content: Donald Trump is talking and acting like an authoritarian as he escalates a constitutional clash with California over his migration crackdown. Much now depends on whether he's simply talking tough or if he's ready to take an already-tense nation across a fateful line in his zeal for strongman rule. On Monday, the president of the United States — the country seen as the world's top steward of democracy for 80 years — endorsed the arrest of the Democratic governor of the nation's most populous state. 'I think it would be a great thing,' Trump said. Trump's decision to deploy troops despite the opposition of California Gov. Gavin Newsom represented the latest example of his willingness to flex extraordinary executive power and marked a break with a first term when he was often talked out of his extreme impulses by establishment officials. For all Trump's multiple previous challenges to the rule of law and democracy, a grave new chapter may be opening. The trajectory of the crisis could now turn on whether Trump follows through on his dictator's theatrics by crossing lines not approached by modern presidents — notably on the use of troops in a law enforcement capacity. It may also rely on the restraint of protesters, who would play into Trump's hands by taking part in more unrest that creates alarming television pictures that can fuel Trump's dystopian rhetoric. Creating or escalating a law-and-order crisis or threat to public security and then using it to justify the use of the military on domestic soil would mirror the methodology of tyrannical leaders throughout history. Read the full analysis. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Newsom hasn't done anything to warrant arrest, Trump's border czar says Content: White House border czar Tom Homan joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins to discuss comments President Donald Trump made suggesting Homan arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom.

CNN
41 minutes ago
- CNN
A look at the ‘less lethal' weapons authorities used to crack down on Los Angeles protests
Late Sunday, as protesters against federal immigration raids clashed with law enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division sent out a warning: 'Less Lethal munitions have been authorized,' officials wrote on X, ordering crowds in Downtown Los Angeles to disperse. 'Less lethal munitions may cause pain and discomfort.' Over the weekend, police used a standard variety of tools to disperse crowds and quell protests that had devolved into violence: Protesters lit self-driving cars on fire. Two motorcyclists drove into a skirmish line of officers, injuring two. And LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, condemning the 'disgusting' violence, alleged on Sunday evening a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at officers. Authorities responded with force. So far, CNN has documented the deployment of flash-bangs, tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, as well as more traditional gear such as batons. These weapons – often described as 'less lethal,' 'less-than-lethal' or 'non-lethal' – are those 'explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate … while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property, facilities, materiel, and the environment,' according to a Department of Defense directive. Prev Next That does not mean they are harmless: After the 2020 protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, researchers found many people suffered injuries from less lethal weapons – particularly rubber bullets. Here's a look at the equipment authorities have used: Authorities have used several tools that a 2025 report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service noted for their ability to incapacitate using blunt force. Foremost among these is the baton, which the CRS report described as the oldest kinetic less lethal weapon. Also called a nightstick, the baton is essentially a club with a handle, often used for crowd control. A CNN field crew witnessed officers pushing and striking protesters with batons Sunday afternoon. Also included are blunt-force projectiles, such as rubber bullets and bean bag rounds – both of which were seen in use this weekend. These weapons are used for long-range crowd control, according to the CRS report, and are meant to cause 'temporary blunt-force trauma to the skin.' Rubber bullets are larger than their lethal counterparts, and some include cores made of metal or wood. Though they are considered 'less-than-lethal,' there are cases where they have been found to disable, disfigure and even kill. Lauren Tomasi, the US correspondent for CNN affiliate Nine News in Australia, was reporting on the scene Sunday when she was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet. The bullet left her sore but she was otherwise unharmed, Tomasi's network said. Bean bag rounds are small, lead pellet-filled pouches, usually fired from a shotgun or a specialized launcher. Each pouch is typically filled with 1.4 oz of lead pellets. Law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles have also turned to chemical irritant devices, which rely on chemical compounds to irritate the sinuses, lungs and skin, causing enough pain to render an individual temporarily unable to function. Tear gas is one such tool, and commonly known. Also referred to as a 'riot control agent,' tear gas can cause excessive tearing, burning or blurred vision and a runny nose or a burning sensation inside the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also cause difficulty swallowing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and a feeling of choking. Law enforcement agents usually disperse tear gas – which actually comes in a powder form – from grenades or a canister, per the CRS report. Pepper spray is similar but deployed using a hand-held canister for 'close-proximity encounters.' The compressed gas, the CRS report says, propels the chemical irritant at the target, who typically does not need medical attention afterwards. Pepper balls marry the effects of a chemical irritant with the delivery of a blunt-force projectile: Pepper spray balls, according to the CRS report, rupture on impact, releasing a chemical irritant similar to those used for tear gas. CNN footage captured law enforcement using pepper balls, spray and tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters Sunday outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. CNN has also seen the repeated use of flash-bangs, which rely on a bright flash of light to obscure a target's vision and hearing. Flash-bangs – thrown either by hand or with a launcher – use an 'explosive propellant to emit a bright flash of light … and ear-piercing sound,' the CRS report says. While their principal purpose is to help police make a 'tactical entry' – disorienting barricaded suspects, for example – they are sometimes used for crowd control. CNN's Harmeet Kaur, AJ Willingham and Sarah-Grace Mankarious contributed to this report.


Fox News
41 minutes ago
- Fox News
California sheriff says Newsom ‘encouraged' LA riots as ICE arrests violent illegal aliens
The Department of Homeland Security is sharing information about more than a dozen illegal immigrant suspects accused of crimes in the United States who were arrested in Los Angeles starting on June 6. The agency released the suspect information after violence broke out in Downtown LA over the weekend in response to the ICE raids that resulted in "hundreds of illegal aliens [being] arrested by ICE officers and agents," including "many with a criminal history and criminal convictions." DHS listed more information about 19 suspects that ICE Los Angeles arrested on June 7 who are accused of crimes ranging from robbery to second-degree murder to rape. "America's brave ICE officers are removing the worst of the worst from LA's streets, while LA's leaders are working tirelessly against them," DHS said in a Sunday statement as riots continued through the weekend. Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County said agitators "are not protesting" and criticized Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom for not taking appropriate action. "They are trying to violently influence something by political action. That is what this is. That is everything that the Constitution stands against," said Bianco, a Republican who is running for governor. "That is what law enforcement stands against, and that is what will facilitate the downfall of our civilized society. A civilized society has an adherence to the rule of law, and there is consequence for breaking that social compact. And when politicians encourage this behavior." "Governor Newsom needs to put his phone down, go sit in his house behind the comfort of his TV screen and a couch, and be quiet because he is doing nothing but fueling this process," the sheriff said. "He needs to stay out of the way of law enforcement. He knows nothing about this. He knows absolutely nothing about the enforcement of law. He despises the enforcement of law, and he has encouraged this." Cuong Chanh Phan, a 49-year-old Vietnamese national, was previously convicted of second-degree murder. Phan was sentenced to serve 15 years to life in prison after he and "his gang member associates" were asked to leave a high school graduation party in 1994 following a dispute and "returned with semiautomatic weapons," which they fired into a crowd of about 30 partygoers, DHS said. "Dennis Buan, 18, of South Pasadena and David Hang, 15, of San Marino, California were killed, and seven others were wounded," the Department said in a Monday post on X. "This criminal illegal alien is who Governor Newsom, Mayor Bass and the rioters in Los Angeles are trying to protect over U.S. citizens." ICE criminally arrested Cielo Vivar-Ubaldo, a previously deported Mexican national who was convicted for sex with a minor, narcotics violations and a hit-and-run. He faces deportation. Jose Cristobal Hernandez-Buitron, 43, of Peru was previously convicted of robbery and sentenced to serve 10 years in prison. Julian Riveros-Cadavid, a Colombian national, was arrested on administrative immigration violations and has prior arrests on charges of domestic battery, child endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft and narcotics violations. He faces deportation. Chrissahdah Tooy, a 48-year-old Indonesian national, was previously convicted on narcotics, DUI and illegal entry charges. ICE arrested Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, a 55-year-old Filipino illegal immigrant, whose criminal history includes theft, assault, burglary and sexual penetration with a foreign object with force and assault with intent to commit rape in Pomona, California, which carries a 37-year prison sentence. Honduran national Jordan Mauricio Meza-Esquibel, 32, whose criminal history includes convictions on charges of domestic violence, as well as heroin and cocaine distribution. ICE arrested Jesus Alan Hernandez-Morales, a 26-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant previously convicted of conspiracy to transport an illegal alien in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He received a 239-day sentence. Delfino Aguilar-Martinez, a 51-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, has been accused of assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to serve one year in prison. ICE arrested Victor Mendoza-Aguilar, a 32-year-old Mexican national previously convicted of possessing unlawful paraphernalia, possessing controlled substances, assault with a deadly weapon: not firearm, and obstructing a public officer in Pasadena. Ecuadorian national Jose Gregorio Medranda Ortiz's criminal history includes conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more cocaine while on board a vessel in Tampa, Florida. Francisco Sanchez-Arguello, a 38-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant, was previously arrested on grand theft larceny and illegal weapons possession charges. Armando Ordaz, a 44-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, has a criminal history including sexual battery and petty theft in Los Angeles, as well as receiving known or stolen property in Norwalk, California. Mexican national Lionel Sanchez-Laguna, 55, has a criminal history including discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling and vehicle, battery on spouse or cohabitant, willful cruelty to child, DUI, assault with semi-automatic firearm and personal use of a firearm in Orange, California. Arturo Diaz-Perez, a Mexican national, is facing administrative immigration violations. He has previous criminal convictions for narcotics violations and carrying a controlled weapon. Diaz-Perez is currently detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Juan Antonio Flores-Felician is a previously deported Mexican nation with previous criminal convictions for burglary, possession of stolen property and receiving stolen property. He faces deportation. HSI Los Angeles arrested Felimon Alejo-Garcia, a Mexican national, on administrative immigration violations. He has a prior DUI conviction and is detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. ICE arrested Diego Hernando Quinones-Alvarado, a Colombian national, on administrative immigration violations. He has a previous DUI conviction and was recently arrested for burglary. He faces removal proceedings. U.S. Border Patrol agents criminally arrested Mexican national Russell Gomez-Dzul for allegedly assaulting a federal officer. ICE also arrested several American citizens during the riots on charges of federal obstruction and assaulting a federal officer. Rioters assaulted officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings and taxpayer-funded property, the agency said in a June 7 press release. "As rioters have escalated their assaults on our DHS law enforcement and activists' behavior on the streets becomes increasingly dangerous, the federal government is calling in the California National Guard for additional support to ensure the safety of all citizens, law enforcement and public property," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Politicians need to turn down the temperature — our ICE enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them as they are just trying to do their jobs." The agency is calling on Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass to "end" the rioting. "The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens," ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE. From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end." Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom and Bass for comment. ICE said in a June 7 press release that it has arrested 2,000 illegal immigrants per day this week "and these violent activists won't deter enforcement operations."