Santa Ana, CA – On Monday, June 9, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began raiding multiple locations across the city of Santa Ana and the surrounding Orange County. ICE was seen arresting day laborers at many Home Depot locations, people at fast food restaurants, bus stops, car washes and more.
Community organizations like the OC Rapid Response Network responded immediately, calling for a protest at the Santa Ana United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office where those arrested were being taken to. Protesters shouted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at ICE agents surrounding the building holding non-lethal weapons and playing an automated message on a megaphone telling protesters to stay off the property.
Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, June 9, Centro CSO held a press conference to call out and denounce the violence that protesters met with when they marched to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
At that June 8, protest, tear gas was fired without warning or provocation into a crowd of children in strollers and infants in carriers. Babies cried and choked as CSO called on the crowd to march back to Boyle Heights.
Boyle Heights, CA – 400 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza on June 8, for a protest called by Centro CSO against recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. Other demands included legalization for all, ICE out of our barrios, no Metro collaboration with ICE, ICE out of immigration courts, and free those detained in the basement of the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Los Angeles, CA – Chicanos and supporters have been gathering at the Metropolitan Detention Center since yesterday evening, June 7, when the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and other law enforcement personnel, started flash bombing and tear gassing protesters.
San José, CA – On Friday, June 6, the Department of Labor released its monthly report on the jobs markets. While the headline numbers were solid, weaknesses are hidden in the report.
Wall Street, better known for a crowd mentality than deep analysis, responded positively, with major stock market price indices all up about 1%, while bond prices fell and interest rates rose as Federal Reserve interest rates cuts seemed less likely.
Santa Ana, CA – El 1 de junio, unos 25 residentes de Santa Ana, familiares y organizadores se reunieron para honrar la vida de Noé Rodríguez y exigir justicia. La vigilia, seis meses después de su muerte, ocurrió frente a Casa Linda Furniture en el centro de Santa Ana, a pocos metros de donde los oficiales Luis Casillas e Isaac Ibarra asesinaron a Rodríguez.
Una mesa con dos ramos de flores blancas, 20 velas y dibujos de las dos hijas de Rodríguez marcó el lugar de su muerte para que la comunidad de Santa Ana pudiera admirarla. Varios asistentes se vistieron con playeras blancas decoradas con fotografías de Noé Rodríguez.
Los Ángeles, CA – On Friday, June 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided multiple locations in Los Angeles, triggering rapid response from communities and a spontaneous protest in downtown Los Angeles.
ICE operations carried out coordinated raids throughout the morning and afternoon, including two confirmed Home Depot parking lots and what’s known as LA’s Fashion District downtown. FBI agents were assisting in ICE operations and people were detained without warrants. It is still unconfirmed how many people were detained.
Los Angeles, CA – On the morning of Tuesday, June 3, the Community Self Defense Coalition was alerted that there might be U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence at Mariachi Plaza. Two members of Centro CSO were able to confirm eight agents resembling the fatigue attire of Homeland Security patrolling the upstairs and downstairs of the METRO line at Mariachi Plaza.
After confirming, CSO immediately released a call to all available community members and CSO members to rush to Mariachi Plaza for an emergency protest. About a dozen people arrived at Mariachi Plaza shortly after the agents left the scene. CSO was joined by business owners of Espacio 1839, the Chamber of Commerce and were supported by various businesses along 1st Street.
Santa Ana, CA – On June 3, nine Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) members and supporters delivered public comments at Santa Ana’s city council meeting to demand justice for Noe Rodriguez. The attendees included two members of Noe Rodriguez’s family, including Erika Armenta, Rodriguez’s wife and mother of his two daughters, and Rodriguez’s sister. Many attending wore shirts designed by Armenta that included portraits of Rodriguez, and all held signs that displayed his killers – Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra.
Santa Ana, CA – On June 1, about 25 Santa Ana residents, family members and organizers gathered to honor Noe Rogriguez’s life and demand justice. The vigil, six months from the date of his death, took place in front of Casa Linda Furniture in downtown Santa Ana, just feet away from where Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra killed Rodriguez.
Santa Ana, CA – On Friday, May 30, chants of “ICE out of Santa Ana!” were heard on the corner of Dyer and Hotel Terrace, where about 20 community members gathered to protest the recent ICE detainments of immigrants attending their hearings at the nearby courthouse.
Santa Ana, CA – El martes 20 de mayo, cerca de 20 miembros de la comunidad y activistas llenaron la sala del ayuntamiento para exigir transparencia al Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana (SAPD) sobre las alertas recibidas de ICE. También exigieron el encarcelamiento de los asesinos de Noe Rodríguez.
San Jose, CA – On May 17, the San Jose State University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine announced an end to their hunger strike, after ten days without food. San Jose State administration reached a working agreement with the hunger strikers, after ongoing pressure from students.
San Jose, CA – On May 22, the Sustainability Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the county divest from Chevron and all fossil fuels. Community organizers joined the commission meeting to give public comments, exposing Chevron’s environmental crimes and urging the county to divest.
San José, CA – On May 15, during Trump's attempt to revoke birthright citizenship at the U.S. Supreme Court level, up to 100 protesters came out in defense of Immigrant and Chicano rights and condemning ICE operations in San José.
The Silicon Valley Immigration Committee (SVIC) joined the Solidarity and Unity Network along with Amigos de Guadalupe, SIREN, City Council member Pamela Campos and the Legalization for All Network (L4A) national week of action against deportations of U.S. citizen children.
Costa Mesa, CA – On Saturday, May 31, chants of “Free, free Palestine!” were heard as about 50 protesters gathered on the corner of Sunflower and Bristol in Costa Mesa. The protest was across from South Coast Plaza, which is a luxury shopping center filled with high-end stores that rakes in $2 billion per year.
Emcee Amy Parker of the Orange County Democratic Socialists of America (OC DSA) reminded the crowd that the plaza is owned by the Zionist Sergerstrom family. The family has also donated at least $40 million to the Sergerstrom Center of the Arts which was also protested earlier this year for hosting the Israel Philharmonic.
Los Angeles, CA, – On Sunday May 25, over 35 protesters gathered in front of the East LA sheriff's department. May 25 marked the five-year anniversary of George Floyed’s murder by Minneapolis Police Department killer cop Derek Chauvin. Protesters demanded “No Derek Chauvin pardon!” and “Legalization for all.”
Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) organized the protest. Activists held signs reading “Jail killer cops” and “Boot the Banditos.”
Santa Ana, CA – El domingo 18 de mayo, cerca de 30 miembros de la comunidad marcharon hacia el Departamento de Policía de Santa Ana (SAPD) para exigir el encarcelamiento de los oficiales Luis Casillas y Isaac Ibarra por el asesinato de Noe Rodríguez y que SAPD haga públicas de inmediato todas las alertas de ICE y DHS que reciba.
La Organización de Servicio Comunitario del Condado de Orange (CSO OC) obtuvo de forma independiente los nombres y las imágenes de las cámaras corporales de los oficiales que asesinaron a Noe Rodríguez mediante una solicitud de la Ley de Registros Públicos, ya que esta información nunca se compartió con la familia de Rodríguez. En esos videos se puede ver que el oficial Casillas disparó a Rodríguez 18 veces y el oficial Ibarra le disparó 11 veces.
Santa Ana, CA – On Tuesday, May 20, about 20 community members and activists filled the city council chambers to demand transparency from Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) regarding alerts they have received from ICE. They also called for the jailing of Noe Rodriguez’s killers.
An article from journalist Ben Camacho published earlier this month revealed that SAPD received notifications from ICE/DHS that they would be present in the city at least 42 times since Trump’s inauguration. SAPD did not share this information with the public, despite being asked by council members and police oversight commissioners multiple times about communications with ICE. An item was presented at the city council meeting to implement a policy requiring SAPD to disclose these ICE alerts to residents.
Santa Ana, CA – On Sunday, May 18, about 30 protesters marched on the Santa Ana Police Department to demand the jailing of officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra for the murder of Noe Rodriguez and for SAPD to immediately make public any ICE and DHS alerts they receive.
Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) independently obtained the names and body camera footage of the officers who killed Noe Rodriguez through a Public Records Act Request since this information was never shared with the family of Rodriguez. In that footage it can be seen that officer Casillas shot Rodriguez 18 times and officer Ibarra shot him 11 times.
