Southern California residents — including local students — took up the call for “no work, no school and no shopping” on Friday morning, as part of a nationwide day of action opposing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
What were expected to be wide-ranging protests, boycotts and walkouts aimed at blocking funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of two people by immigration officers in Minneapolis kicked off first thing on Friday with marches by local students.
Alex Cruz waved a combined Mexico and United States flag in front of La Habra City Hall 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 that included “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.”
Police blocked traffic to allow the long train of students to cross streets.
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.”
The group spilled over onto both sides of La Habra Boulevard. 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 loud speaker played “This Land is Your Land” and the crowd sung along in unison.
An especially loud cheer went up on both sides of the street when a yellow pickup truck flying a Mexican flag stopped at the intersection with Euclid Street before driving off.
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.”
They received hundreds of responses online when the event was announced, but were skeptical if anyone would actually show up in person.
“I hope that us using our voices will influence others to do the same,” Cartwright said. “Other schools, other parents who may be afraid.”
Amber Gould with Indivisible La Habra, a local organizing group, supported the walk out but said it was completely student led.
“This is the next generation who’s going to vote,” Gould said. “This is the next generation who’s going to make change.”
Protests, boycotts and other community actions are expected to continue throughout the day in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, Torrance, Chino Hills, Pomona and beyond. Multiple shops and restaurants around the region have also pledged not to open on Friday in a show of solidarity.
The Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration operations began in Los Angeles and surrounding cities before expanding across the country to cities such as Chicago and Portland. But the confrontational and at-times violent tactics used by federal agents recently in Minneapolis — including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good — have served as flashpoints for opposition to the immigration enforcement operations.
The nationwide protests — dubbed “ICE Out of Everywhere” — are meant to show solidarity with Minnesota and for those who have died in ICE custody and to demand an end to the raids across the country.
Staff writers Sean Emery and David Wilson contributed to this report.