Thousands of people gathered in Southern California on Sunday, Feb. 2 to call for immigration reform and protest against the mass deportations promised under President Donald Trump‘s administration.
In Los Angeles, a large group of anti-ICE protesters were blocking both sides of the 101 Freeway near the Alameda Street exit. A couple of thousand people also were demonstrating near downtown Los Angeles.
The protesters gathered Sunday morning on Olvera Street for what the Los Angeles Police Department called a non-permitted demonstration. The crowd grew to a few thousand people who marched to City Hall, before many walked onto the freeway near the Alameda Street exit.
Footage from the scene showed well over 100 boisterous protesters walking on both sides of the freeway shortly after noon, many carrying U.S. or Mexico flags or signs assailing ICE.
The LAPD, which earlier called the demonstration peaceful, said at 1 p.m. that “Spring St, Main St, Los Angeles St as well as Arcadia and the 101 Freeway both North and South are under major gridlock in the DTLA area.”
In Riverside, hundreds of people protested; Passing cars honked and yelled out in support as community members held up various signs and some waved Mexican flags on the sidewalks at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Tyler Street.
Protesters chanted, “El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido” – the people united will never be defeated.
“It really encouraged me to use my voice for the people who can’t speak up or are afraid to,” said 22-year-old Ariana Gonzalez, who helped organize the event.
A resident of Lake Elsinore, Gonzalez said she knows at least 10 people who are afraid to go outside following the increased presence of ICE and Border Patrol agents in the area. She said the response has been more “aggressive” this year than in Trump’s previous presidency, and people are afraid to get a haircut, buy groceries, or drop their kids off at school.
The 22-year-old wants to send a message that combats the narrative portraying her community as “all criminals” and said ICE needs to act within the law.
This is a developing story; Please check back for more.
City News Service contributed to this report.