By Ami Medina, Feb. 25, 2025
Thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles and shut down the 101 freeway Feb. 1 to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump’s tightened immigration policies, including increased ICE raids and an executive order to remove birthright citizenship for children born from undocumented immigrants.
The demonstration began on Olvera Street and grew to thousands of participants who marched to LA City Hall before making their way onto the freeway. Protesters waved Mexican and Central American flags, chanting “si se puede” meaning “yes we can,” as they walked on the 101 freeway. Many carried signs with powerful messages of resistance, such as “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “Don’t bite the hands that feed you.”
“It was so nice seeing the community coming together,” said Ariadna Murillo, a first-generation Latina born and raised in LA who attended the protest. There were mariachi bands, Aztec dancers, and I felt at home. When we started walking on the freeway, it did get a little crazy with the police, but everyone was there for each other, and we remained united. I felt so much love around us.”
Murillo’s parents and oldest brother are immigrants from Juarez, Mexico, and she felt compelled to represent their fight for a better life.
“Growing up, I always worried about what I would do if my parents got deported,” Murillo said. “I know that struggle and fear firsthand. Going to the protest was my job, standing up for my parents and as the only citizen in my family.”
As the daylong event unfolded, police declared an unlawful assembly and ordered the protesters to disperse. Their decision came after officers said members of the crowd began to throw bottles and rocks at them, but demonstrators said police initiated the outbreak.
For Murillo, the demonstration was more than just a protest; it was a reaffirmation of the deep connections that unite the immigrant community in LA. However, like many other protesters, she expressed frustration with the growing harshness of immigration enforcement.
“The ICE raids are very disheartening and inhumane,” Murillo said. “So many families are being separated. Immigrants come to this country for a better life, and a lot of people haven’t done anything wrong. They’re hard workers, and this is how the country repays them?”
Travis Torres, a first-generation Latino from Los Angeles, was also part of the Feb. 1 protest. Like Murillo, Torres has a deep connection to the immigrant struggle as his parents are from Mexico, his mother from Sinaloa and his father from Guanajuato.
When Trump was elected president in November 2024, Torres and many other LA residents marched in downtown LA to express their dissatisfaction.
“Many were angry at the Latinos who voted for Trump, saying ‘Tienen el nopal en la frente’ because they knew what he was going to do with immigrants,” Torres said.
The phrase “Tienen el nopal en la frente,” which translates to “They have a cactus on their forehead,” is a saying that expresses the idea of someone who has abandoned or rejected their roots. In this context, it reflects the anger and betrayal of those who feel that Latinos who voted for Trump are turning their backs on their cultural heritage, especially given Trump’s well-known anti-immigrant stance.
The ICE raids have hit also close to home for Torres and he explained the emotional toll these raids have on him, emphasizing it’s not just a matter of policy but one that causes real, personal pain.
“The ICE raids break my heart, and they show that it’s a system based on racism,” Torres said. “It’s not only Latinos who are immigrants here in the U.S.—there are immigrants from everywhere—but it seems like they’re targeting us.”
For Torres, he sees the increase in ICE raids not as a random occurrence but as a clear indication of the systemic racism that underpins the U.S. immigration system. He believes these raids are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern where marginalized communities, particularly people of color, face discrimination and hostility.
Divina Garcia, a first-generation Salvadorean American, also participated in the protest but for a different reason than Murillo and Torres. She was there to sell aguas frescas (cool water) alongside her father, an immigrant from El Salvador, and other street vendors offering bacon-wrapped hot dogs and freshly squeezed orange juice along the protest route.
“Even though I wasn’t out there marching, I felt like I was part of the movement,” Garcia said. “People were so appreciative, and it reminded me of the importance of supporting each other in times like these.”
Anti-Trump and pro-immigrant protests aren’t only sprouting in Southern California; they have also erupted in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Montgomery, Alabama.
In Pomona, there were also two planned protests announced by the Instagram account @pomonaprotest: one Sunday, Feb. 16, at Pomona City Hall and another Monday, Feb. 17, at the corner of Main and Mission Streets.
Feature image courtesy of Travis Torres