‘ICE Out of OC’: In Santa Ana, roughly 300 people protest immigration raids as National Guard watches on

Roughly 300 people gathered Wednesday evening outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana to protest the ongoing mass immigration raids in Orange County.

The peaceful protest began shortly after 6 p.m. and soon tripled in size as people from all walks of life congregated in front of a road closure, occupied by at least six members of the California National Guard on North Birch and 4th Street. Chants such as “ICE Out of OC” and “Trump Out of OC” could be heard throughout the group as people held up various creative signs and carried Mexican and American flags.

Donned in a cowboy hat, Navy veteran Jason Martinez, 28, stood in front of the National Guard with an American flag that read “I’m More American.”  His parents were both deported in 2011, a few years before his military enlistment in 2015. “I still think this country can be great,” said Martinez. “There’s no borders up in heaven, there shouldn’t be (borders) here either,” he added.

Several people holding megaphones urged the crowd to “keep things peaceful” as at least 15 officers from the Irvine Police Department, dressed in riot gear, stood back around the perimeter of the protest. One person carried a Salvadorian flag while another waved a joint American-Pride flag.

For 28-year-old former Santa Ana resident David Vasquez, the protest was an opportunity to show support for the broader immigrant community.

The Corona resident carried a large cardboard poster with historic images depicting the displacement and mistreatment of Hispanic immigrants in America. “These people never got justice,” he said. Vasquez added that his mother was undocumented and had picked fruits and vegetables as an agricultural worker in the 90s, often for little to no pay. At times, he said his mother’s employers would call ICE to “chase out” the workers to avoid paying them.

“It feels like the federal government is trying to be as dramatic as possible to elicit a response from people,” said 30-year-old Kelsey Leach from Orange. “It’s important to come out and nonviolently exercise our First Amendment rights.”

The sound of engines revving and cars honking in support echoed in the background.