Napa says: ‘ICE Out’
Napa, CA – Saturday morning, October 25, community members gathered outside the Home Depot in south Napa for an energetic protest against ICE’s presence in the Napa Valley and across the greater Bay Area.
The action was organized by the North Bay CSO (Community Service Organization), a grassroots group that has been leading local efforts against deportations and federal repression.
Despite sporadic rain throughout the morning, dozens of protesters showed up, holding banners that read “ICE out of the Napa Valley” and “Stop the deportations.” The demonstration came in response to reports of Trump threatening a “federal surge” throughout the greater Bay Area and its immigrant neighborhoods, as well as the confirmed presence of immigration enforcement at the Coast Guard station in Alameda. Protesters demanded that ICE leave Napa and the Bay Area entirely, denouncing the targeting of immigrant and working-class communities.
The rally saw a heavy presence of young Chicanos from West Napa, many of whom said they came out to defend their neighborhoods and stand in solidarity with local immigrant families.
“This is our home, our people,” one participant who only identified himself as Javi, said. “We’re not going to stand by while ICE terrorizes families in the same valley our parents built with their labor.”
Protesters also condemned recent threats by President Trump to send a “federal surge” into the Bay Area. Although Trump later recanted his remarks, organizers pointed out that ICE and federal agents have visibly increased their presence across northern California in recent weeks.
“I’m here because we have a felon in office that is illegally detaining people who are on stolen land and they are going missing and we need to know where they are, where they’re going, and this needs to stop because this is all illegal and people need to get mad about it,” said Darien Dickerson of Napa. “That supposed ‘federal surge’ throughout the Bay Area is 100% illegal. We need to stand up and fight back.”
“From Alameda to Napa, from Oakland to Santa Rosa, we’re building a movement that won’t let federal agents terrorize our communities,” said organizer Omar Otero. “The youth showing up today, especially the young Chicanos from West Napa, are proof that the next generation isn’t afraid to stand up and fight back.”
Saturday’s protest marked another step in the growing movement in the North Bay demanding that ICE be driven out of local communities once and for all.
As Dickerson said, and as the crowd echoed together, “We need to stand up and fight back.”