Southern California residents — including local students — took up the call for “no work, no school and no shopping” on Friday morning, as part of a nationwide day of action opposing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
What were expected to be wide-ranging protests, boycotts and walkouts aimed at blocking funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of two people by immigration officers in Minneapolis kicked off first thing on Friday with marches by local students.
Alex Cruz waved a combined Mexico and United States flag in front of La Habra City Hall Friday morning amid a crowd of at least 200 students from two local high schools.
La Habra High School and Sonora High School students walked out of class and marched to City Hall chanting and holding signs with messages that included “Abolish ICE” and “History repeats when you stay silent.”
“Even though our voices are small everybody needs to play a part,” Cruz, a senior at La Habra High School, said. “It starts with one.”
Police blocked traffic to allow the long train of students to cross streets.
Cruz said the combined flag symbolizes that there’s no need for division.
“At the end of the day we’re all the same, human on the inside,” Cruz said. “Everyone has their own differences, but we need to see the beauty in it.”
The group spilled over onto both sides of La Habra Boulevard. For more than an hour the sidewalk in front of City Hall bounced with music, chanting, whistles, loud cheers and the constant honking of support from passing vehicles. A loudspeaker played “This Land is Your Land” and the crowd sang along in unison.
An especially loud cheer went up on both sides of the street when a yellow pickup truck flying a Mexican flag stopped at the intersection with Euclid Street before driving off.
Kei Bermejo, a Sonora High School junior, came up with the idea to have a student led event on national shutdown day and connected with La Habra High School students Nico Mehta and Gavynn Cartwright to join forces. The result was rival schools uniting to take a stand.
“Our main goal is we wanted a peaceful protest. We wanted people to be aware of what ICE is doing in our communities,” Bermejo said. “We want La Habra to know that we don’t want them to support ICE.”
They received hundreds of responses online when the event was announced, but were skeptical if anyone would actually show up in person.
“I hope that us using our voices will influence others to do the same,” Cartwright said. “Other schools, other parents who may be afraid.”
Amber Gould with Indivisible La Habra, a local organizing group, supported the walk out but said it was completely student-led.
“This is the next generation who’s going to vote,” Gould said. “This is the next generation who’s going to make change.”
In Woodland Hills, a group of protesters holding signs such as “Keep families safe!” and “Immigrants aren’t criminals but the president is” gathered on Ventura Boulevard near a Target store.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, whose district includes that part of the San Fernando Valley, joined the demonstrators to support people “who just believe what is happening is wrong” and feel that the Trump administration “needs to change its ways.”
“I’m standing in solidarity with all these folks who are rightfully concerned and angered by what is going on across the country with families being ripped apart, with citizens being killed and really just constitutional rights being thrown out the window,” Blumenfield said. “We are standing up, we are saying enough and we are coming out across the country today.”
In Torrance, about 70 protesters lined the sidewalk outside the Little Company of Mary around 11:45 a.m., protesting the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE.
A shrine for Pretti was set up on the corner of Torrance Blvd. and Plaza Lane, adorned with flowers and candles.
Many of those in attendance were nurses and other hospital staff, holding signs with phrases including “our patients’ rights have no borders,” and “ICE not welcome here.”
That protest has been one of many across the country organized by National Nurses United. Pretti was an intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Many of the healthcare workers present at Friday’s protest did not want to reveal their names due to fear of retaliation, but still wanted their voices to be heard.
“What they (ICE) did to that poor man, it’s deplorable,” said a nurse, eyes filling with tears. “As a nurse, we just want to help people and families and to murder someone who is trying to help, it’s horrible.”
Another healthcare worker shared that sentiment, noting that Pretti was a nurse and so “of course he would want to help that woman,” referring to a woman ICE had apparently shoved to the ground and whom Pretti seemingly intervened to assist.
“We, as healthcare workers, need to unite against ICE,” she said, “That was not the way to apply the law and if we say this is okay by keeping quiet, what happens next?”
Lyn Hunt-Russell, a retired Hickory Elementary School teacher joined the protest in Torrance, citing her outrage for how federal immigration authorities are detaining people as motivation for joining the demonstration.
“I think they’re targeting people who should not be targeted,” she said. “Yes, I think there is a need for a law and order in the country, but this is not the way.”
Hunt-Russell said children in particular should not be targeted.
“I’ve taught many immigrants here in Torrance and they and their families should not live in fear of being deported or separated,” she said, adding that former colleagues have shared with her that some Torrance schools have turned into a “community of fear.”
Fear has no place in a school, Hunt-Russell said. “The children should feel safe and not live in fear that mommy or daddy will be pulled away from their jobs and not be there when they come home from school.”
By mid-day, dozens of protesters had already gathered and were chanting in front of City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, in preparation for an early-afternoon demonstration in the area that was expected to be the largest among Southern California protests.
“What do we want? ICE out,” protesters chanted, video footage from the scene showed.
Protests, boycotts and other community actions are expected to continue throughout the day in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, Torrance, Chino Hills, Pomona and beyond. Multiple shops and restaurants around the region have also pledged not to open on Friday in a show of solidarity.
The Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration operations began in Los Angeles and surrounding cities before expanding across the country to cities such as Chicago and Portland. But the confrontational and at-times violent tactics used by federal agents recently in Minneapolis — including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good — have served as flashpoints for opposition to the immigration enforcement operations.
The nationwide protests — dubbed “ICE Out of Everywhere” — are meant to show solidarity with Minnesota and for those who have died in ICE custody and to demand an end to the raids across the country.
Staff writers Sean Emery, David Wilson and Madeline Armstrong contributed to this report.