More than 60 largely peaceful protests against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took place this weekend, including several in Southern California.
But while many protests passed without incident, there was no shortage of anger and moments of tension. The organizers called the meetings “ICE Out for Good” weekend of action in response to the shooting death of Renée Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis.
In Huntington Beach, Ron Duplantis, 72, carried a diagram depicting the three shots fired at Good, including one through his windshield and two others that appeared to go through his side window.
“Those last two shots,” he said, “make it clear to me that this is a murder.”
Participants in the “ICE Out” protest hold signs Sunday in Huntington Beach.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Huntington Beach has seen clashes in the past between Trump supporters and anti-racism activists, but by mid-afternoon, Sunday's protest was at times tense but free of violence. About 300 people, and two dozen counterprotesters, stood in front of City Hall, with protesters carrying anti-ICE signs, ringing cowbells and chanting “ICE out of OC.”
As cars sped down Main Street, many motorists honked their horns in solidarity, while some rolled down their windows to shout their support for ICE, MAGA, and President Trump.
“The reason I'm here is democracy,” said Mary Artesani, a 69-year-old Costa Mesa resident holding a sign that said “RESIST.” “They have to remember that he won't be in office forever.”
Participants at the “ICE Out” protest in Huntington Beach hold signs as a car with a MAGA hat on the windshield passes by.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
The Trump administration has largely supported the ICE agent, identified as Jonathan Ross, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said he acted in self-defense. Democratic officials and many members of the public have said that videos of the shooting circulating on social media appear to contradict at least some of the administration's claims.
“I'm outraged that our government murdered a woman and that our government lied to our faces about it,” said protester Tony Zarkades, 60, who has lived in the Huntington Beach area for nearly 30 years. Zarkades, a former Marine Corps officer, said he is considering moving to Orange to escape the presence of so many Trump supporters in Huntington Beach.
Large protests against ICE occurred over the weekend in the Bay Area, as well as in Sacramento and other California cities. In Oakland, hundreds of people demonstrated peacefully on Sunday, although the night before protesters gathered at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and left graffiti, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
In Los Angeles on Saturday night, protesters marched through downtown to City Hall and past the Edward Roybal Federal Building, and the Los Angeles Police Department issued a dispersal order around 6:30 p.m., according to City News Service.
While many of the protests focused on what happened to Good in Minnesota, they also recognized Keith Porter Jr., a man killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge on New Year's Eve.
In Huntington Beach, the coastal community has long had a reputation as a Republican stronghold in Southern California, although its politics have been changing recently. Orange County has a painful legacy of political extremism, including neo-Nazism. In 2021, a “White Lives Matter” demonstration in the area ended with 12 arrests.
On Sunday, a small group of about 30 counterprotesters waved Trump and MAGA flags on a corner opposite the anti-ICE rally.
Counter-protester Victoria Cooper, 72, holds signs and shouts at participants of the “ICE Out” protest in Huntington Beach.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“We're here to support our country and our president and support ICE,” said Kelly Johnson, who said her age was “old enough to be your sugar daddy.”
Wearing a T-shirt that read “ICE Immigration: Making America Safe Again,” Kelly said the protesters were “paid agitators” who had been lied to by the media.
“Look at the other angles of the [shooting] “Videos,” he said. “She ran over the officer.”
Next to him was Jesse Huizar, 66, who said he identifies as a “Latino for Trump” and was here to “support the blues.”
The Chino resident said he came to the United States from Mexico when he was 5 years old, but he is not afraid of ICE because he “came here legally.”
Huizar said Good's death was sad, but that she “if she had complied, if she had gotten out of her car and followed orders, she would be alive right now.”
But their voices were largely dominated by those of anti-ICE protesters. One of the event organizers, Huntington Beach resident Denise G., 52, who declined to give her last name, said they have been gathering in front of City Hall every Sunday since March, but this was by far one of the largest turnouts they have ever seen.
She felt “devastated, angry and more determined than ever” when she saw the video of Good's shooting, she said.
Counter-protester Kelly Johnson stands in front of the “ICE Out” rally.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“It could be any of us,” he said. “People who are not here today need to understand that this could be your family member, your spouse, your children. Now is the time. All hands on deck.”
Nearby, Yvonne Gonzales, 27, had gathered with about 10 of her friends. They said they were motivated to come because they were outraged by the shooting.
“I wish I was surprised,” Gonzales said, “but we have seen so much violence from ICE.”
She suspected race was a factor in the outpouring of support, noting that Good was a white woman while many others who had been injured or killed by immigration enforcement actions were people of color, but it was still “great to see this turnout and visibility.”
A few feet away, Christie Martinez, 41, stood with her sons, Elliott, 9, and Kane, 6. She cried as she thought about the shooting and recent ICE actions in California, including the murder of Porter.
“It's sad and disgusting,” said Martinez, who lives in Westminster. “It makes me very sad how people are attacked because of their skin color.”
