Protests, walkouts underway in Southern California against ICE, aggressive raids and Trump – Orange County Register

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles and across Southern California on Friday, heeding a nationwide call for “no work, no school and no shopping” that drew residents throughout the region to speak out against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.

The demonstrations were part of wide-ranging protests, boycotts and walkouts dubbed “ICE out of everywhere,” aimed at blocking funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by immigration officers in Minneapolis.

The streets of downtown L.A. alone, an area that has become a focal point in recent months for immigration-related demonstrations, drew a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands of people by mid-afternoon. They filled up North Spring Street and flowed into nearby Grand Park. They held signs including “Abolish ICE, “ICE out of LA” and “Protect our students”.

“ICE is out of control. They’ve got way too much money, more than the military, even,” said Rhonda, a retired resident of L.A. County who asked to be identified only by her first name out of fear of retaliation. “What they do to anybody, they can turn around and do to us as citizens — and they are doing it to citizens.”

Among the protesters on the steps of City Hall was Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, who said she attended the demonstration to show solidarity with residents opposing federal immigration enforcement actions.

“Government does the right thing when it works hand in hand, and when the community pushes it to do the right thing,” Hernandez said. “I am here to say that as a council member in the city of Los Angeles, I stand with the community that is asking for peace, that is asking for families to be able to stay together.”

Anthony M., 28, a teacher and the son of Mexican immigrants, said he attended the City Hall protest out of concern for his family, his students and what he described as the fear immigration enforcement has created in his community. As a teacher in South Los Angeles, he said the impact has been especially visible in his classroom. He described students missing school because they are afraid their parents could be detained while they are gone.

“They don’t know whether the day they go to school would be the last day that they see their parents,” he said. “They don’t know if by the time they get home, their parents won’t be there, or something else happens.”

As the downtown crowd grew in the early afternoon, chants of “Trump must go now,” “ICE out, Trump out,” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” thundered through the streets.

Around 2:30 p.m., the crowd began marching down Spring Street, onto Temple Street and throughout downtown. Some dispersed into Metro stations as the crowd passed Union Station and walked along Cesar Chavez Avenue. When the march reached the Cesar Chavez Bridge, roughly a mile from Los Angeles City Hall, some protesters stopped and turned back, while others moved past the 5 Freeway corridor. By 4:30 p.m., a few hundred people were still marching along 1st Street, heading back toward City Hall.

Catherine Garrison, 55, an architect from Highland Park, moved hurriedly through the crowd clutching a handmade sign. As someone who works with contractors in Altadena, she said the fear is directly affecting her work and the rebuilding of homes in the area. She said some workers are afraid to show up at job sites or even go to places like Home Depot, worried they could be targeted.

“We can’t rebuild Altadena. We can’t do our jobs,” she said. “It’s made the work a lot less effective. It’s made people scared. It’s made them park their trucks in different places so it doesn’t even look like a job site.”

Protests, boycotts and other community actions popped up throughout the day all across Southern California. Multiple shops and restaurants around the region had also pledged not to open on Friday in a show of solidarity.

In Riverside, shortly before 2:30 p.m., dozens of protesters, most from John W. North High School, marched to the front steps of the downtown Riverside Historic Courthouse.

They carried signs that read “Abolish ICE” and “Education Not Deportation,” and chanted slogans such as, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Donald Trump has got to go!” and “No ICE! No KKK! No fascist USA!”

It was the first protest for 18-year-old Bee Barron, a senior at North High School.

“People think that it’s just criminals, but it has grown beyond that point,” she said. “I don’t want families torn apart. I don’t want people crying that their parents are gone and worrying about their parents going off to work.”

Demonstrators cheered as drivers honked their horns in support.

Sarah Gregory, a 25-year-old doctoral student in philosophy at UC Riverside, wore her UAW 4811 union T-shirt as she protested.

“I’m out here, fighting against the state-sanctioned terrorism that has been happening all across our country,” she said. “I think now is the time for people all over the working class to stand up and show that we won’t stand for people being shot out of the streets.”

Earlier in the day, Alex Cruz waved a combined Mexico and U.S. flag in front of La Habra City Hall on Friday morning amid a crowd of at least 200 students from two local high schools.

La Habra High School and Sonora High School students walked out of class and marched to City Hall chanting and holding signs with messages like “Abolish ICE” and “History repeats when you stay silent.”

“Even though our voices are small, everybody needs to play a part,” Cruz, a senior at La Habra High School, said. “It starts with one.”

Cruz said the combined flag symbolizes that there’s no need for division.

“At the end of the day we’re all the same, human on the inside,” Cruz said. “Everyone has their own differences, but we need to see the beauty in it.”

For more than an hour the sidewalk in front of City Hall bounced with music, chanting, whistles, loud cheers and the constant honking of support from passing vehicles. A loudspeaker played “This Land is Your Land” and the crowd sang along in unison.

Roy and Helen Heard join nurses and fellow community members...

Roy and Helen Heard join nurses and fellow community members to protest in memory of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance on Friday January 30, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Protesters hold signs on Ventura Blvd near a Target store in Woodland Hills, CA., Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Nurses and community members stage a walk-out to protest in memory of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance on Friday January 30, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Protesters hold signs on Ventura Blvd near a Target store in Woodland Hills, CA., Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Thousands gathered outside of Los Angeles City Hall to protest ICE across the country on Friday, January 30, 2026 (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Students at La Habra High School walk out in early morning march as part of Friday’s nationwide general strike, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Photo by David Wilson)

Thousands gathered outside of Los Angeles City Hall to protest ICE across the country on Friday, January 30, 2026 (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Students at Irvine High School staged a walkout in Irvine, CA on Friday, January 30, 2026, in opposition to ICE enforcement. Students marched to Heritage Park, next to the high school, to listen to speakers. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

ICE protester Arleth Guerrero writes a message on a sign outside Slow Bloom Coffee in Redlands on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The coffee shop closed to offer the public a space to make signs, gather, and carpool to the protest in Riverside. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

High School students join a nationwide “Ice Out of Everywhere” protest at Pasadena City College, where a “Fight Back Friday” demonstration has been held for almost a year, on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Augusta Cummins, 13, Robin Stromvall, 14, and Priscilla Cummins, 15, skip school to join a nationwide “Ice Out of Everywhere” protest at Pasadena City College, where a “Fight Back Friday” demonstration has been held for almost a year, on Friday, January 30, 2026. Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Marshall High School students lift Leif Schmidt, 14, of Irving Middle School, as they skip school and join a nationwide “Ice Out of Everywhere” protest at Pasadena City College, where a “Fight Back Friday” demonstration has been held for almost a year, on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

People join a nationwide “Ice Out of Everywhere” protest at Pasadena City College, where a “Fight Back Friday” demonstration has been held for almost a year, on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Protesters line Ross Street during a demonstration against ICE in Santa Ana, California on Friday, January 30, 2026. The “ICE Out!” demonstration is part of a nationwide day of action to show opposition to the Trump administration‘s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Junior Medina waves a giant flag during a demonstration against ICE in Santa Ana, California on Friday, January 30, 2026. The “ICE Out!” demonstration is part of a nationwide day of action to show opposition to the Trump administration‘s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Kei Bermejo, a Sonora High School junior, came up with the idea to have a student-led event on national shutdown day and connected with La Habra High School students Nico Mehta and Gavynn Cartwright to join forces. The result was rival schools uniting to take a stand.

“Our main goal is we wanted a peaceful protest. We wanted people to be aware of what ICE is doing in our communities,” Bermejo said. “We want La Habra to know that we don’t want them to support ICE.”

Schools from across the region, including in Temecula, Murrieta, Riverside and Rialto, participated in campus walkouts.

In Orange County, roughly 150 students, a few parents and community supporters gathered in a grassy area next to Irvine High School in a demonstration against ongoing ICE enforcement actions.

Students held handmade signs condemning ICE and advocating for immigrants, including one that read “Free the Paleteros,” using a term for Mexican ice cream vendors, and “We’re not criminals, we’re people too.”

Onyx, a 15-year-old first-year student who helped organize the demonstration along with several other classmates, said they were inspired by the high school walkouts and nationwide strike. They said one of their friends had been detained by ICE, along with their mother in late December last year.

“I came to the conclusion that I can do something about it, right?” said Onyx. “We see innocent lives being detained and people being killed.”

Onyx said they were surprised by the turnout. They initially expected only 20 to 30 people to show up.

More than 100 people stood along Colorado Boulevard across from Pasadena City College in the morning, holding signs that read “ICE is just KKK misspelled,” “End ICE Terror” and “Make America Good Again”.

Maeve Totten, a high school freshman attending La Salle High in Pasadena, said friends and family members are staying in their homes, afraid to be detained by ICE.

“They are trying to hide, they can’t go out,” she said. “Protesting is creating awareness.”

In Woodland Hills, a group of protesters holding signs such as “Keep families safe!” and “Immigrants aren’t criminals but the president is” gathered on Ventura Boulevard near a Target store.

Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, whose district includes that part of the San Fernando Valley, joined the demonstrators.

“I’m standing in solidarity with all these folks who are rightfully concerned and angered by what is going on across the country with families being ripped apart, with citizens being killed and really just constitutional rights being thrown out the window,” Blumenfield said. “We are standing up, we are saying enough and we are coming out across the country today.”

In Torrance, about 70 protesters lined the sidewalk outside the Little Company of Mary around 11:45 a.m., protesting the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE. A shrine for Pretti was set up on the corner of Torrance Boulevard and Plaza Lane, adorned with flowers and candles.

Many of those in attendance were nurses and other hospital staff, holding signs with phrases including “our patients’ rights have no borders,” and “ICE not welcome here.” Pretti was an intensive care nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and many protests across the country were organized by National Nurses United.

Blanca Vaish, a registered nurse from Long Beach and an active member of her union, the California Nursing Association, said she and the union are calling for the U.S. government to fully abolish ICE.

“In his last few moments, he (Pretti) was caring for other people, which is part of our code of ethics in the nursing profession — to protect and advocate for the vulnerable,” Vaish said. “We save lives and for them to end the life of one of our own is disheartening.”

Lyn Hunt-Russell, a retired Hickory Elementary School teacher, joined the protest in Torrance. Children in particular should not be targeted, she said.

“I’ve taught many immigrants here in Torrance and they and their families should not live in fear of being deported or separated,” she said. “The children should feel safe and not live in fear that mommy or daddy will be pulled away from their jobs and not be there when they come home from school.”

Classmates Ali Sola Ogundimu and Lina Gu from Chadwick Private School in Palos Verdes were among those who skipped class on Friday to join the protesters in Torrance outside Little Company of Mary Hospital.

Ogundimu said that a big issue among people her age is the false information and “lies bombarding us” on social media.

“I’m really tired of going on TikTok and seeing people lie about what has happened,” she said.

In Long Beach, around 1,000 protesters of all ages marched down Fourth Street in the early afternoon from Cherry Avenue, chanting “ICE out of Long Beach” and “Up, Up, Up, with the immigrants. Down, down, down with ICE.”

Alisa Luna, 62, from Buena Park traveled to Long Beach with her family to join in the protests.

“What’s happening in the country is so sad,” Luna said in Spanish. “There have been so many injustices happening lately from people being taken from their families just for the way they look or sound, to a young man being killed in cold blood. In this country we believe in equality and I’m glad to see so many of us come together to make our voices heard.”

Local businesses also took part.

In Redlands, a couple of dozen people gathered at Slow Bloom Coffee Cooperative. The shop was closed to host protesters for sign-making, free cold brew and carpooling to the protest in Downtown Riverside. They crafted signs reading; “melt ice,” “ICE out of IE,” “no human is illegal,” and a painting of the family from the animated children’s show “Bluey” that said “keep families together.”

A father and daughter duo, Gerardo Huante, 40, and Luna Huante, 9, came from San Bernardino. Luna said they were there to bring awareness to families being torn apart by ICE.

“I definitely want her to express herself and to be aware of what’s going on,” Gerardo Huante, an immigrant himself, said. “She’s first generation, so I definitely want her to exercise her right to peacefully protest.”

In Old Town San Dimas, a locally owned bookstore, Judging By the Cover, opened its doors to create a safe space for the community during the national shutdown. Members of the community sat around long tables in the back of the store and used donated cardboard and paints to create signs with slogans calling on ICE to “get out” and to “love our neighbors.”

“This is why we’re supposed to come together,” said Michelle Pasos, a resident of La Verne. “And we have to not lose it.”

Staff writers Sean Emery, David Wilson, Madeline Armstrong, Teresa Liu, Christina Merino, Mona Darwish, Madison Hart, Stephen Scauzillo, Jordan Darling, Jeff Horseman and Anissa Rivera contributed to this report.

Protests, walkouts underway in Southern California against ICE, aggressive raids and Trump – Orange County Register

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