What’s at stake:
Local demonstrations on Friday were part of a coordinated national shutdown, calling on people across the country to step away from work, shopping and school for the day in a collective act of protest.
By noon on Friday, about 50 people stood shoulder to shoulder together on the overpass at Shaw Avenue and Highway 41 in a bridge brigade, holding signs as part of the national shutdown—a coordinated action urging people across the country to step away from work, shopping, and school for the day.
Below and beside them, traffic flowed steadily. Cars and business trucks honked in approval, turning the overpass into a brief but unmistakable exchange between protesters above and commuters below, linked by a shared moment of solidarity.
Protesters hold signs criticizing the Trump administration and immigration enforcement’s killing of two American citizens. Credit: Diego Vargas/Fresnoland
The national shutdown traces its roots to the University of Minnesota’s Somali Student Union and has since grown into a broad movement, with dozens of regional and national organizations backing the action.
Central Valley Indivisible, which organized the bridge brigade, was joined by several local groups, their signs calling for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and voicing support for the general strike.
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Elena Tsuchiya, a 64-year-old Asian lesbian and the daughter of immigrants, stood among the crowd with a mix of anger and grief. Her mother was born in Japan, her father in San Francisco, and she says the country she grew up believing in feels increasingly unrecognizable.
For her, recent immigration enforcement actions signal something deeper than policy disagreements—they represent a moral breaking point.
“If we get rid of freedom of speech, to kill those people, this is morally wrong and is a poor example of Christian values,” said Tsuchiya.
Tsuchiya described watching footage of Alex Pretti being killed by immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota as a moment that crystallized her fear.
“This is life or death,” Tsuchiya said. “If they’re willing to shoot white people openly in public, who knows what will happen next.”
Despite her rage, she insists she hasn’t given up entirely.
“I still believe in America,” Tsuchiya said, before adding bluntly, “but fuck Donald Trump.”
Protesters line the sidewalks of the overpass above Highway 41 to demonstrate against increasing ICE enforcement across the country. Credit: Diego Vargas/Fresnoland
Nearby, Michelle Echeverria said she has been watching the effects of immigration enforcement ripple through her own community for more than a year. Coming from a family of farmers, she says the increased presence of ICE has brought what she describes as a quiet return of segregation.
This protest marked the first time she has taken her frustration into the streets—or into her representatives’ inboxes. She has begun writing letters to local members of Congress demanding stronger protections for immigrant rights.
Her father immigrated from Spain, and she says she cannot reconcile that history with what she sees now.
“I don’t believe what is going on,” Echeverria said. “I don’t believe in people being stopped for the color of their skin. We should be angry.”
Echeverria, who previously focused her activism on disability rights, said this moment has pushed her to speak out more forcefully.
“People are getting real comfortable with being racist fucks,” Echeverria said.
Months ago, she turned the American flag upside down outside her home—a traditional signal of distress.
“Don’t hide your racism in patriotism,” Echeverria said. “You can’t be doing this to immigrants.”
For both women, the protest was less about a single event than a growing sense of urgency. The sentiment that they both shared was one of needing to get together for the greater good and for younger generations.
A protester holds up a sign towards motorists on Shaw Avenue during a protest on Jan. 30. Credit: Diego Vargas/Fresnoland
In solidarity with the shutdown, many local businesses, including Sour Milk gift shop and Judging by the Cover bookstore have closed their doors. Others, like the Modernist cocktail bar and Let Me Take A Look giftshop, who are owned by children of immigrants, have chosen to remain open to offer a gathering space for the community or because closing is not financially feasible.
Many local businesses that remained open have committed to donating today’s proceeds to local immigration organizations, such as Faith in the Valley’s watch network.
Local businesses and activists online have also been circulating a social media post about different ways people can support if they are unable to participate in the shutdown.
Students in schools across the country have planned walkouts, and supporters are being asked to participate by stepping away from work, shopping, and classes for the day in a show of collective pressure and solidarity.
Fresno Unified School District and its schools made a statement that they will remain open, citing that school sites “are prepared to support student expression on campus,” and have “concerns about students participating in off-campus activities during the school day.”
And wrote that “as a reminder, absences related to off-campus participation during the school day will be considered unexcused.”
Fresno Unified spokesperson AJ Kato said she couldn’t confirm an exact number, but said students from Fresno, McLane and Sunnyside High “all walked out.”
Kato shared with Fresnoland that a corrected message was sent to school sites today to clarify that middle and high school students could be excused for engaging in protest if they notified the school ahead of the absence.
Local activist groups have made social media posts citing that the California Education Code Section 48205 was recently updated to include civic and political engagement as a valid reason for an excused absence where students are guaranteed one excused absence per school year.
Additional protests are scheduled throughout the day, organized by several other groups.
Later in the evening, the Central Valley Party for Socialism and Liberation plans to gather outside Fresno’s ICE facility, with a demonstration set to begin at 6:00 p.m.
More actions are planned for the weekend. On Saturday, Peace Fresno will sponsor a “Disappeared in America” protest at River Park.
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