The response from the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) during the first week of summer protests has been called into question.

They fired rubber bullets and threw tear gas at peaceful protestors, and now the city council will be investigating if that was an appropriate response. Councilman Jonathan Hernandez told Voice of OC that SAPD were the agitators on the day, and most citizen accounts said the majority of people were acting in a nonviolent manner.

During the initial week of protests, the National Guard was called in to Southern California, and in Santa Ana, they were stationed by the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. Tanks rolled through downtown, but it did not deter demonstrators, who organized in front of the court building and continued to call for ICE to end its wide-ranging enforcement.

In Orange, there were groups of around 50 to 60 people who protested in The Circle during this time period.

Further into the summer, anti-ICE protests became more sporadic. This was also the beginning of the “No Kings” protests, which were more generally anti-Trump without fully focusing on a specific issue such as immigration enforcement.

The (relatively) silent period

There were a spate of protests across OC during the fall and early winter, but nothing beyond small gatherings here and there or regularly scheduled events.

Many groups organized events more broadly against Trump, not specifically targeted towards ICE. One of these groups, Indivisible Orange, continued protesting in Old Towne as they have done every Tuesday since the start of Trump’s second term.

ICE activity in the county did continue during this period, with deportation efforts seen in Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana. Across California, deportations were higher in September than they were during the height of the raids in the summer. The reported number in June was 895, while it hit 1,723 in September; however, these numbers are most likely lower than the actual amounts due to undetailed or missing case information.

Despite the growth heading into fall, protests quelled.

ICE shootings in Santa Ana

Protests in OC picked back up after the surge of ICE activity in Minnesota made national news, especially after the homicide of Nicole Good. On Jan. 20, more than 1,000 protestors across six cities in the county protested against Trump’s deportations.

Earlier in the month, on Jan. 9, DHS clashed with organizers outside the federal building in Santa Ana. According to the LA Times, federal agents attempted to bring one protester — Skye Jones — into custody inside the building. Agents made the initial approach towards the members at the front of the gathering, and others attempted to intervene to stop them from detaining Jones.

This is when another protestor, Kaden Rummler, was shot in the eye and blinded by a projectile from federal agents. A pool of blood formed around him as he was on the ground, before an agent dragged him into the federal building as well.

In the article, the LA Times reported:

“Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, previously told The Times that a ‘mob of 60 rioters threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at law enforcement officers outside of the federal building.’”

On the same night, a second man was shot in the eye. In another article, The LA Times reported that Britain Rodriguez suffered similar blinding. Rodriguez said that he was standing at the bottom of the steps when agents fired less-lethal rounds at a group of protestors. His girlfriend also said that there was no warning given before the shots.

Now, Voice of OC is reporting that SAPD is disputing DHS’s account of the events, with officers describing the protestors as peaceful.

Walkouts take shape in OC