Oakland’s immigrant communities are on high alert after raids across Southern California.

by Natalie Orenstein June 10, 2025 (Oaklandside.com)

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In the wake of federal raids on Home Depots, car washes, and warehouses in Los Angeles and Orange County, Oakland’s immigrant communities are preparing for potential Alameda County roundups. 

Protests erupted in LA last week after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested over 100 immigrant workers and day laborers. Some of the protests quickly turned into clashes, with federal agents using pepper spray and batons and demonstrators throwing rocks at federal vehicles, according to news reports. President Donald Trump responded by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and Marines.

Alameda County hotline for reporting ICE activity: 510-241-4011

The president’s unilateral moves were met with pushback by Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass. The state has since filed a lawsuit arguing that the deployment is unconstitutional. Meanwhile, San Francisco police took over 200 people into custody on Sunday and Monday who were protesting local ICE arrests. 

Local groups have organized events in response this week:

• Tuesday, June 10, 6 p.m.: “The Bay Stands with LA,” a community interfaith vigil organized by Faith in Action East Bay, Bay Resistance, and others, at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland
• Wednesday, June 11, 6-8 p.m.: Emergency response training for Alameda County residents sponsored by Faith in Action East Bay, at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 703 C. St. in Union City
• Saturday, June 14, 12:45 p.m.:  “No Kings” rally, a march organized by Indivisible and others as part of a national mobilization in support of democracy, from Wilma Chan Park to Frank Ogawa Plaza

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Valeria Ochoa, organizer with Faith in Action East Bay, said the wave of Southern California arrests have stoked fear among immigrant communities in Oakland. She said her organization has received an influx of unconfirmed reports of ICE agent sightings in the city since then which her team is looking into. Speaking with The Oaklandside on Tuesday morning, Ochoa said a colleague was just then driving to check out the latest report.

“A bunch of us got together and said, OK, we have to do something in solidarity,” she said, and quickly pulled together plans for the Tuesday evening vigil, which she said will include interfaith prayer and community speakers. 

“We’re angry,” she said, “with folks going after our communities.” Ochoa said the organizers were committed to planning a peaceful, nonviolent event, given the escalating crackdowns and provocations. They chose Fruitvale Plaza for the vigil because so many immigrants in Oakland spend time there. She said the organizers wanted to send a clear message: “We’re there to fight for you.”

Local officials, day-laborer groups speak out

Oakland is among dozens of cities across the country where “No Kings” rallies are planned for Saturday. These protests, organized by Indivisible and other groups, take aim at the president’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and other executive actions they describe as “authoritarian excesses.”

Speakers at Oakland’s march will include Rep. Lateefah Simon, who represents Oakland in Congress.

Several local elected officials have also criticized Trump’s immigration enforcement actions.

“I will not stay silent as our families are targeted and traumatized by ICE’s cruel tactics and the federal administration’s relentless attacks on our community,” Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Márquez said in a statement Tuesday. 

“I know firsthand the fear and heartbreak that spreads when loved ones are threatened with detention or deportation,” said Márquez, who is the daughter of immigrants. “No one should have to live in constant fear of being torn from their family, their home, or their dreams.”

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors recently approved $3.5 million for immigration services, including legal defense and know-your-rights training. The allocation was made in the wake of threats from President Trump to cut federal funding to “sanctuary” jurisdictions such as LA, Oakland, and Alameda County, where local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from cooperating with ICE. 

“There are a lot of very real fears right now,” said City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran in a social media video in February, which she reshared Monday. But she assured viewers that local leaders are dedicated to keeping Oakland’s sanctuary status.

Local grassroots organizations that support immigrants are also ramping up their activities. The Street Level Health Project, an Oakland organization that supports day laborers and other immigrants who lack health insurance, recently held a staff training to better prepare for potential ICE raids. 

“Day laborers are very much a target right now and very vulnerable at this time because they’re so visible,” said Gabriela Galicia, the project’s executive director. Recent raids have targeted day laborers at Home Depots in Pomona, Los Angeles, and Santa Ana, in Orange County. 

Street Level Health is planning to launch an “Adopt a Day Laborer Corner” program where volunteers can sign up, at info@streetlevelhealthproject.org, to monitor a corner where day laborers gather to seek work.

“Right now we need manpower, we need more eyes,” Galicia said, but she advised people not to show up to Home Depots or other gathering places unannounced, as it could heighten tensions. 

Esther Kaplan contributed reporting

NATALIE ORENSTEIN

natalie@oaklandside.org

Natalie Orenstein is a senior reporter covering City Hall, housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. Her reporting on a flood of eviction cases following the end of the Alameda County pandemic moratorium won recognition from the Society of Professional Reporters NorCal in 2024. Natalie was previously on staff at Berkeleyside, where she covered education, including extensive, award-winning reporting on the legacy of school desegregation in Berkeley Unified. Natalie lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, and has only left her beloved East Bay once, to attend Pomona College.More by Natalie Orenstein

SFPD has now arrested over 200 people in two days following anti-ICE protests

by JOE RIVANO BARROS, KELLY WALDRON and ABIGAIL VÂN NEELY

June 9, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)

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A march against deportations that started peacefully in the Mission District ended in violence and mass arrests late on Monday, when dozens of San Francisco police officers encircled a group of about 60 protesters, tackled several to the ground, and shot pepper-spray rounds at onlookers.

A police source on Tuesday morning told Mission Local that about 80 people were arrested during the Monday night event.

Thousands rallied in the Mission just after 6 p.m., walking and chanting for blocks on end and decrying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As the night wore on, protesters splintered off from the main march, and police said “two small groups” eventually “engaged in vandalism” and “other criminal acts.”

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Around 10 p.m., police declared an unlawful assembly at Market Street and Van Ness Avenue for the 80 or so gathered there. Officers soon encircled the two groups, separated on opposite sides of Market Street.

Onlookers shouted “Let them go!” while banging on drums. One whistled “The Internationale.”

At 10:49 p.m., police officers began zip-tying a group of protesters they had encircled at Fell and Market streets when a scuffle broke out.

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Video shows officers tackling people to the ground, pushing onlookers away, following an ICE protest on June 9, 2025. Video by Joe Rivano Barros.

Officers began tackling protesters to the ground. They pushed onlookers away and shouted “Back up!” A few minutes later, a sergeant fired pepper-spray rounds at an onlooker, and several other officers pointed their long guns.

At least two of those arrested were taken away by ambulance. At least one more was tackled by officers in a separate incident later.

Two student journalists with the University of California, Berkeley’s Daily Californian, who asked to withhold their names, were detained with the group for 30 minutes, despite visibly wearing press credentials. They were released by a sergeant around 10:45 p.m.

Police and fire department sources said about 60 people were arrested before 9 p.m., with two police officers mildly injured.

The San Francisco Police Department wrote that the splinter groups “refused to comply” with orders. Mayor Daniel Lurie said he had been monitoring the protests, and blamed splinter groups for “acts of violence and destruction.”

The mass protest was the fourth in two days in San Francisco, after at least 20 people were arrested by ICE last week.

On Sunday, SFPD arrested 154 people, including six juveniles, bringing their two-day total of arrests following the ICE protests to more than 200.

Protest started peacefully in the Mission

Earlier that night, marchers had gathered at 6 p.m. at 24th and Mission streets, chanting “Move, ICE, get out the Bay!” and, in Spanish, “Trump, escucha, estamos en la lucha:” Trump, listen, we’re in this fight.

The crowd heard speeches from activists and Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the district.

Fielder criticized Sunday night’s police response against anti-ICE protesters downtown.

“We do not send riot police on unarmed protesters,” Fielder said. “SFPD should not be doing Trump’s work for him.”

Lurie defended the police response then, too, saying the protesters were “violent” and pointing to vandalism of Muni vehicles and downtown storefronts, plus two officers who suffered minor injuries.

Protesters took note of Lurie’s words, chanting in Spanish, “Lurie, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” Lurie, listen, we’re in this fight.

Around 7:40 p.m., the march continued south on Valencia Street. A group of protesters gathered at the intersection of 17th and Valencia streets, where the Mission police station is located. At least 50 SFPD officers stood behind a metal barrier in front of the station.

For a few minutes before the small crowd dissipated, a few people shouted at the stoic officers. When they shook the barricades, police approached with guns with less-lethal rounds drawn. Others silently faced off with the officers.

Protesters walked around the Mission for two hours, ending back at the intersection of 24th and Mission streets with a call from organizers to be safe and responsible.

“You can’t act a fool,“ one said. “There are new people here; they’re learning.”

By nightfall, the McDonalds on the corner of 24th and Mission Streets was covered in graffiti. A couple of protesters guarded the exterior from those wanting to tag it, yelling, “Don’t tag the Mission!”

“Go to the Richmond. Go to the Presidio,” someone in the crowd said. “Do it where they have money to rebuild shit.”

JOE RIVANO BARROSSENIOR EDITOR

joe.rivanobarros@missionlocal.com

Joe was born in Sweden, where half of his family received asylum after fleeing Pinochet, and then spent his early childhood in Chile; he moved to Oakland when he was eight. He attended Stanford University for political science and worked at Mission Local as a reporter after graduating. He then spent time at YIMBY Action and as a partner for the strategic communications firm The Worker Agency. He rejoined Mission Local as an editor in 2023. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.More by Joe Rivano Barros

KELLY WALDRON

kelly@missionlocal.com

Kelly is Irish and French and grew up in Dublin and Luxembourg. She studied Geography at McGill University and worked at a remote sensing company in Montreal, making maps and analyzing methane data, before turning to journalism. She recently graduated from the Data Journalism program at Columbia Journalism School.More by Kelly Waldron

ABIGAIL VÂN NEELY

abigail@missionlocal.com

Abigail covers criminal justice, accountability, and behavioral health. She’s originally from New York City, where she was a youth advocate and watched hundreds of arraignments. Now, she enjoys foggy San Francisco mornings with her cat, Sally Carrera. (Yes, the shelter did in fact name the cat after the Porsche from the animated movie Cars.)More by Abigail Vân Neely

Protesters had amassed outside the court after video showed ICE agents arresting people following hearings

by MARGARET KADIFA, OSCAR PALMA and JOE RIVANO BARROS

June 10, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)

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San Francisco’s federal immigration courthouse shut down on Tuesday afternoon after about 200 people flocked downtown in response to video showing agents arresting two people outside the court building.

Video captured by Mission Local reporters and onlookers showed agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement putting a man into a silver mini-van outside 100 Montgomery St. on Tuesday morning, while protesters surrounded the van.

“You’re kidnapping people!” one yells. “Pull your fucking mask off!” yells another, as a small crowd surrounds the van and attempts to keep it from driving off. An ICE agent pushes them away.

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“This is an ICE abduction!” someone yells, as protesters begin banging on the van and pulling open its sliding doors. Other ICE vehicles soon join the minivan as it speeds off. “Pieces of fucking shit!” a protester yells after the minivan.

https://videopress.com/embed/PhNTHH9Z?cover=1&autoPlay=0&controls=1&loop=0&muted=0&persistVolume=1&playsinline=0&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=1&hd=0

Protesters surrounding an ICE minivan after agents arrested a man after an immigration hearing in San Francisco on June 10, 2025. Video by Maggie Kadifa.

In a separate video captured by an advocate, several ICE agents bring the man, dressed in a white T-shirt, out of the courthouse through a throng of protesters. An ICE agent yells, “Back up! Do not impede my arrest.”

Video captured by the San Francisco Chronicle showed another man being led out of the courthouse escorted by three masked ICE agents. They take him out of a side door into a waiting minivan.

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Video captured by an advocate showed the man being taken from the courthouse and loaded into the mini van.

Dozens descended on the courthouse as video of the arrests circulated around the city. They held forth with bullhorns, chanting “Immigrants are welcome here,” and “When immigrants right are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Multiple vehicles honked in support as protesters continued flowing in, holding signs that read, “I don’t believe in walls” and “Donald Trump’s got to go.”

Hearings scheduled for the afternoon were subsequently cancelled, according to court security guards and attorneys, due to security concerns.

At around 1:30 p.m. two men holding a stack of documents under their arms walked out the building. One of the men said the judge had cancelled his hearing, and those of at least other four others.

The man, a Colombian national, has been in the country for two years. He migrated over fears of persecution as a result of his sexual identity, and is seeking asylum. “I’m so afraid of going back. I fear for my life,” he said.

“I’m really happy to see this kind of support here,” he added, looking at the crowd.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the immigration court in Concord had also been shut down by protesters.

Tuesday’s arrests continued a pattern over the last week of ICE agents picking people up after their hearings and loading them into vans for deportations.

Mission Local attended immigration hearings for both men arrested in San Francisco on Tuesday morning, and additionally confirmed with an attorney at the courthouse that both detainees were immigrants who had just had hearings within.

This is the latest deportation arrest in San Francisco, where ICE agents last week took 20 people into custody and flew them into detention centers as far away as Texas and Arizona. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the last two days, railing against the immigration agency.

Francisco Ugarte, who manages the Public Defender’s Office immigrant unit, railed against the presence of ICE agents at immigration court. “There are few things more antithetical to democracy than using police power to disrupt courthouses.”

OSCAR PALMA

oscar.palma@missionlocal.com

Oscar is a reporter with interest in environmental and community journalism, and how these may intersect. Some of his personal interests are bicycles, film, and both Latin American literature and punk. Oscar’s work has previously appeared in KQED, The Frisc, El Tecolote, and Golden Gate Xpress.More by Oscar Palma

JOE RIVANO BARROSSENIOR EDITOR

joe.rivanobarros@missionlocal.com

Joe was born in Sweden, where half of his family received asylum after fleeing Pinochet, and then spent his early childhood in Chile; he moved to Oakland when he was eight. He attended Stanford University for political science and worked at Mission Local as a reporter after graduating. He then spent time at YIMBY Action and as a partner for the strategic communications firm The Worker Agency. He rejoined Mission Local as an editor in 2023. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.More by Joe Rivano Barros

Sky News Jun 10, 2025 Greta Thunberg says members of an aid flotilla that attempted to get into Gaza were “attacked and kidnapped” by the Israeli military and taken into Israel “against our will”. The 22-year-old activist was deported from Israel after she and her colleagues were prevented from docking in Gaza on Monday. She said the flotilla was attempting to open up a “humanitarian corridor” following the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Full story: https://news.sky.com/story/israel-rel…

A screengrab from video footage shows an Israeli soldier involved in the detention of humanitarians in international waters on June 9, 2025.

 (Photo: Israeli Foreign Ministry/X.com)

“These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade—their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”

JAKE JOHNSON

Jun 09, 2025 (CommonDreams.org)

Israeli forces early Monday boarded the Madleen, a United Kingdom-flagged vessel carrying humanitarian aid, and detained its crew members as they sought to deliver food, children’s prosthetics, and other supplies to Gaza’s besieged and starving population.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement that the Madleen was “unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food, and medical supplies—confiscated.”

Huwaida Arraf, a human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer, said that “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen” and argued that Israel’s naval blockade violates the International Court of Justice’s “binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.”

“These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade—their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately,” said Arraf.

Heidi Matthews, an assistant professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Canada, echoed Arraf, writing on social media that “the world is watching Israel attack a civilian boat carrying no weapons—only humanitarian aid—flying a U.K. flag in international waters and carrying humanitarians of many nationalities.”

“Israel has precisely zero authority to do so under any law,” Matthews added.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Monday derided the Madleen as a “selfie yacht” and said the vessel is “safely making its way to the shores of Israel” after the country’s forces boarded the boat, which set sail from Sicily on June 1. The foreign ministry added that there are other “ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip”—but Israel’s military has been tightly restricting the flow of food and other assistance, pushing the enclave toward famine.

Among the vessel’s dozen passengers are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said in a video posted online by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. “I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”

SOS! the volunteers on 'Madleen' have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish citizen.
Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!

Web: https://t.co/uCGmx8sn8j
X : @SweMFA
FB : @SweMFA
IG : swedishmfa#AllEyesOnMadeleen pic.twitter.com/76Myrg2Bnz

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025

Zeteo‘s Prem Thakker reported that “before connection was lost, video from the vessel showed some form of white substance sprayed upon the vessel.”

“Passengers reported the unknown liquid came from drones flying overhead, while the ship’s radios began being jammed,” Thakker wrote.

Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called Israel’s seizure of the Madleen “a blatant act of international piracy and state terrorism.”

“We call on governments—especially western governments funding Israel’s genocide and Arab Muslim governments watching it happen—to show an iota of the courage demonstrated by those on the Madleen by using every tool at their disposal to force an end to the genocide,” said Awad.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, wrote that “while Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza.”

“Breaking the siege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us,” Albanese added.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.

JAKE JOHNSON

Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.

Full Bio >

POSTED INPOLITICS AND MOVEMENTS: US

Democratic Congressman John Garamendi says Republican confidence is fraying since the falling out between the two former political allies, causing more panic than meets the eye—chaos he thinks might derail the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

BY STEPHEN JANIS AND TAYA GRAHAM

JUNE 9, 2025 (therealnews.com)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Congressional Republicans are publicly brushing off the insults and fireworks between Elon Musk and Donald Trump as a social media spat that will not dent support for the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ 

But, behind the scenes, a key Democrat says this posturing belies the chaos that has engulfed the party since Musk publicly denounced the legislation. In short, he says, Republicans are running scared.

“The Republicans were leaving the floor as fast as they possibly could. They didn’t want to talk to anybody. They wanted to get out of town,” Democrat Congressman John Garamendi said shortly after a morning floor session Friday.

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“I suspect when they go back to their districts, they’re going to hide in their closets,” he added.  

He thinks it’s possible that fallout from the feud could impede the massive bill that will cut healthcare access for 10.9 million people and will undo critical tax credits for renewable energy, among other provisions. 

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“[The] Trump and Musk divorce is having a profound effect on the legislation,” he said. “It’ll play out over the weekend as the Republicans go home. I assume they’re going to talk to their constituents, maybe they’ll just hide out.”

Garamendi is a California Democrat known for supporting progressive priorities and co-sponsoring legislation such as Medicare for All, student loan forgiveness, the Green New Deal and raising the federal minimum wage. He says conservatives are terrified of Musk and are unsure of how to proceed. 

“Why are we giving a tax break to the super wealthy? You think they need it? They’ve got more money they can possibly spend.”

“It’s very clear for the three Republicans I talked to, they do not know what this is going to mean, but I can tell them what it means is that the reconciliation bill is in trouble.”

“Will it cause the reconciliation bill to die? I hope so,” he said. 

This is not the first time the progressive stalwart has predicted Republican disarray. 

In April, Garamendi argued that the Musk-Trump relationship would fracture and that the mayhem caused by DOGE or the Department of Government Efficiency would cause Republicans to distance themselves from the President.  

“Right now Republicans have a stonewall but it’s breaking,” he said at the Hands Off protest in Washington, DC. “The pressure is being built by this crowd… it will manifest and Republicans will break away from Trump.”

Just off the floor on Friday, he said his Republican colleagues did not want to talk about the messy split between Trump and Musk. He thinks the consequences from the very public falling out will play out when Congress is back in session. 

“Next week’s going to be very, very important because this divorce is going to have an effect on the reconciliation legislation.”

The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is currently awaiting passage in the Senate, where it faces pushback from a variety of legislators, including fiscal hawks. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation would add $2.4 trillion to the nation’s debt if passed.  

Garamendi said the bill is a disaster that gives tax cuts to the richest Americans at the expense of the working class. He believes if the bill makes it through the reconciliation process and into law, voters will punish Republicans in the 2026 midterms. 

“Why are we giving a tax break to the super wealthy? You think they need it? They’ve got more money they can possibly spend.” 

“We don’t need to make the kind of cuts in healthcare, in food programs and international aid programs that are in that legislation.”

The current version of the bill would cut Medicaid spending by roughly $880 billion. The reduction in funding would be achieved by what Garamendi deemed burdensome red tape and work requirements that would entangle people who cannot afford health insurance.

It would also end Obamacare-related subsidies, curtailing a program that now provides health insurance to 24 million Americans. Strangely, Republican members of congress have yet to acknowledge the impact this would have on their state budgets—let alone their constituents dependent upon both healthcare programs.

Republican members of congress have yet to acknowledge the impact this would have on their state budgets—let alone their constituents dependent upon both healthcare programs.

To respond to the Republicans’ massive legislative push, we asked Garamendi if Democrats were preparing a Project 2029 to counter Project 2025, the now-infamous conservative playbook that the Trump administration has been working to implement. 

Garamendi said he has been working with Democratic colleagues to craft a list of progressive priorities—and that it was needed right now.  

“We were actually working on something. Project 2026,” he said. “We need an overarching message in which the Democratic Party is a party that is for the working men and women of America, for the families of America.”

We reached out to the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson for comment on Garamendi’s remarks.  They have yet to respond.

STEPHEN JANISHOST AND PRODUCER

Host & Producer
Stephen Janis is an award winning investigative reporter turned documentary filmmaker. His first feature film, The Friendliest Town was distributed by Gravitas Ventures and won an award of distinction from The Impact Doc Film Festival, and a humanitarian award from The Indie Film Fest. He is the co-host and creator of The Police Accountability Report on The Real News Network, which has received more than 10,000,000 views on YouTube. His work as a reporter has been featured on a variety of national shows including the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries, Dead of Night on Investigation Discovery Channel, Relentless on NBC, and Sins of the City on TV One.More by Stephen Janis

TAYA GRAHAMHOST AND PRODUCER

Host & Producer
Taya Graham is an award-winning investigative reporter who has covered U.S. politics, local government, and the criminal justice system. She is the host of TRNN’s “Police Accountability Report,” and producer and co-creator of the award-winning podcast “Truth and Reconciliation” on Baltimore’s NPR affiliate WYPR. She has written extensively for a variety of publications including the Afro American Newspaper, the oldest black-owned publication in the country, and was a frequent contributor to Morgan State Radio at a historic HBCU. She has also produced two documentaries, including the feature-length film “The Friendliest Town.” Although her reporting focuses on the criminal justice system and government accountability, she has provided on the ground coverage of presidential primaries and elections as well as local and state campaigns. Follow her on Twitter.More by Taya Graham

We have a job to do. Here’s how we fight back:

Hit the Streets

See below for information on the upcoming NO KINGS rallies and protests happening around the country. Peacefully and powerfully. Protest. Rally. Bear witness. Make noise. Make them see us—and hear us.

Sign on to these efforts

1. Click here to Investigate Trump’s LA National Guard Deployment Now
2. Click here to sign the petition: Denounce Trump’s Military-Style LA Immigration Raids
3. Click here to send a letter to your lawmakers to speak out and denounce this state-sponsored terror on our communities and champion freedom of speech and the right to assemble.
4. Click here to Take Action: Stop ICE Raids and Military Escalation Against Protestors
5. Click here to Stop Attacks on Immigrants in Reconciliation Bill

Join NO KINGS DAY

1. Join the nationwide No Kings Day protests happening across the country on June 14 to say NO to fascism, NO to military crackdowns, and YES to democracy, dignity, and immigrant justice.
   1. Click here to find a location near you on Mobilize
   2. Click here to view on a map
   3. Click here to signup to host an event for NO KINGS DAY

Demand Action from Lawmakers

Tell them they must:

1. Conduct Oversight – Demand full transparency. Visit the facilities. Publicly question the use of federal force.
2. Speak Out – Use every microphone, every hearing, and every headline to denounce this authoritarian overreach.
3. Pass Reforms – Support legislation to rein in the Insurrection Act and limit military involvement in immigration enforcement.
4. Vote NO – On the budget reconciliation bill pouring $170 billion into militarized immigration enforcement, and amend the NDAA to block the use of military personnel and bases for these crackdowns.

Every local, state, and federal elected official must be forced to pick a side: with the people or with the regime. Silence is complicity.

Power to the People

Let’s be clear: We are the firewall. We are the ones who must organize, resist, and demand a nation where power serves the people—not terrorizes them. The fight for democracy is our fight.

I want to make it clear that whenever People Power United uses the word “fight” in our writings, posts, or spoken word, we mean fiercely advocate—never to incite or support violence. We do not condone any form of violence, nor do we advocate for breaking any laws.

Our commitment is to peaceful advocacy through the exercise of our constitutional rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, peaceful rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. These are the tools we use to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy.

And together, we will win.

This is not just about California. This is about all of us.

We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising. Let’s do it together.

With fierce resolve and people power,
Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
People Power United

by ELENI BALAKRISHNAN and JOE RIVANO BARROS

June 8, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)

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More than 150 people, including six juveniles, were arrested by San Francisco police officers on Sunday, after hundreds of protesters rallied against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and got into a standoff with dozens of police officers.

The San Francisco Police Department said Monday that 148 adults and six juveniles had been had been arrested. All but one of the adults were cited and released.

The arrests took place after a crowd assembled outside the ICE headquarters at 630 Sansome St. around 6 p.m. on Sunday. The mostly peaceful protest escalated once people noticed police vans full of officers in riot gear waiting the next block over.

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The gathering crowd yelled, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” and held signs that read “Fuck ICE.” A man shouted at the assembled officers: “You guys need to stand up, too!”

Dozens of San Francisco police officers trickled in from vans, and the crowd of hundreds stationed outside the ICE headquarters moved toward to the police at Jackson Street, formed a line, and began pushing towards the officers.

A couple people threw eggs and at least one glass bottle. The officers formed a cordon line, and a standoff ensued for some 40 minutes, until SFPD declared unlawful assembly at 7:33 p.m.

RIGHT NOW

SFPD arrived in force at the anti-ICE protest in San Francisco. Several hundred protesters have now been in a standoff w/dozens of police for 40 min.

SFPD just declared unlawful assembly, but hard for crowd to hear. pic.twitter.com/yhbJWHn8t5

— Mission Local (@MLNow) June 9, 2025

Crowd members brought metal barricades to form a barrier between them and officers, and the police used them to push back against the crowd. Officers rushed the crowd soon after. At that point, at least one person was tackled to the ground and arrested.

Spear Minteh, 35, said an officer reached out and hit him in the chest as police advanced toward protesters.

“It seemed like they were just angry,” said Minteh, who added that he hasn’t been to protests in years, since those with Occupy Wall Street. Today, hearing the news in Los Angeles, he felt compelled to come out. “I wasn’t expecting it to get violent.”

SFPD continued pushing the crowd block by block down Sansome Street, in San Francisco’s Financial District, and ushered dispersal orders throughout.

As of 8:30 p.m., the crowd had largely dissipated from near the ICE headquarters, but people spread around the downtown area, tagging buildings and pulling trash bins into the street. At one point, glass storefronts at Chase Bank and Fendi were smashed in.

A few blocks away, video showed several dozen protesters were barricaded by police and threatened with arrest after 9 p.m., and eventually officers began zip-tying and arresting members of the crowd one by one as of 11 p.m. Also around 9 p.m., BART had closed Embarcadero Station “due to civil disturbance on Market Street.” Trains resumed service as usual by 9:50 p.m.

A police spokesperson said that the department declared an unlawful assembly after some in the crowd “became violent” and committed crimes ranging from “assault to felony vandalism.”

While many dispersed, the statement said that “a small group” refused to leave the 200 block of Montgomery Street, and officers arrested some 60 people, including juveniles, and recovered one firearm.

Two officers suffered minor injuries, and one was transported to a hospital, the statement said. The one man who was held after arrest was charged with assault on a police officer, removing a weapon from a police officer, and resisting arrest.

Mayor Daniel Lurie defended the police, writing that “violent and destructive behavior” led to the arrests.

https://x.com/DanielLurie/status/1931957300828524682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1931957300828524682%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmissionlocal.org%2F2025%2F06%2Fsf-ice-deportation-protests-sfpd-standoff%2F

Supervisor Jackie Fielder arrived at the mass arrest a little before 11 p.m., asking to speak to Commander Derrick Lew. He told her the protest was “not straight First Amendment stuff,” as two officers had been injured. Fielder criticized the number of police officers on scene; many dozens, and at least a dozen vehicles.

A sergeant told Fielder that most of those arrested would be cited and released. The final protesters were loaded into vans at around 2 a.m., five hours after arrests began.

The protest was called by several groups, including NorCal Resist, to rally against deportation arrests that have ramped up this week across the country, including in San Francisco: At least 15 people were arrested during their check-ins with ICE in the city this week, including several children.

In another incident, a 39-year-old mother of two was arrested after being told to check in with her case officer in San Francisco. Within 36 hours, she had been put on a plane to an Arizona detention center, separated from her husband, 10-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son.

Several dozen protesters surrounded by SFPD right now at Montgomery & Pine, being zip tied & taken one by one.

They’re shouting “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA!”

This comes a few hours after SFPD rushed anti-ICE protest. pic.twitter.com/uOXIRj9ugT

— Mission Local (@MLNow) June 9, 2025

The protest was also called in solidarity with actions in Los Angeles over the past three days: Thousands of people have taken over streets to push back against deportation raids there, especially in the Latinx-heavy city of Paramount.

“They’re kidnapping people, and they’re just taking them off the streets with no due process,” said Kathleen Dobson, who was in the crowd today and said she was disturbed by recent events. “It can happen to any of us. We need to fight for those who’s can’t.” 

President Donald Trump, in response, has deployed some 2,000 National Guard troops over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objection. It’s the first time a president has done so since 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson brought the National Guard to Alabama over the objections of Gov. George Wallace.

Then, the troops were meant to protect civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery. Trump, on Sunday, wrote that he was calling out troops to “liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.”

ELENI BALAKRISHNAN

eleni@missionlocal.com

Eleni reports on policing and criminal justice in San Francisco. Follow her on Twitter @miss_elenius.More by Eleni Balakrishnan

JOE RIVANO BARROSSENIOR EDITOR

joe.rivanobarros@missionlocal.com

Joe was born in Sweden, where half of his family received asylum after fleeing Pinochet, and then spent his early childhood in Chile; he moved to Oakland when he was eight. He attended Stanford University for political science and worked at Mission Local as a reporter after graduating. He then spent time at YIMBY Action and as a partner for the strategic communications firm The Worker Agency. He rejoined Mission Local as an editor in 2023. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99.More by Joe Rivano Barros

Progressive Dem Jun 9, 2025 Join us this Sunday at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT. when we will be joined by Rep. Delia Ramirez who has just introduced the Block the Bomb Act, that calls for offensive weapons to be withheld from Israel and demands Israel’s compliance with U.S. and international law. We will discuss the legislation with Rep. Ramirez. Then, as we always do, we’ll mobilize to support the bill and the peace movement in general. RSVP Now. This is going to be a jam-packed and historic PDA Town Hall. Ask your family, friends, and co-workers to join as well. The siege in Gaza continues – and, yes – the United States of America continues its unwavering support for Israel. American progressives had a clear course of action that we pursued during the Biden administration, that in many respects, has stalled following Trump’s inauguration. No doubt because the current administration seems unreachable to many of us because its aggressive prosecution of peace activists has understandably pushed us into a defensive posture. But we must take a page from history. Anti-Vietnam War activism didn’t stall when Nixon was elected – it amplified. Just as in 1969, the moral necessity of speaking out against mass killing that is being done because of our country’s policies is as necessary as ever. In this context we are thrilled to have Rep. Delia Ramirez as our featured guest on this Sunday’s Town Hall. Rep. Ramirez has just introduced the Block the Bomb Act, the single-most important piece of legislation introduced in the current Congress when it comes to impacting, and hopefully bringing an end to, the slaughter in Gaza. We will not only talk with Rep. Ramirez about her bill, we will be organizing in support of this historic and humane legislation. RSVP Now. Of course, PDA Town Halls often cover more than one subject. We’ll also be getting an update on the upcoming June 14th “No Kings” national day of demonstrations, and encouraging all of our members to attend one of the hundreds-upon-hundreds of planned demonstrations on what is setting up to be the largest day of anti-Trump demonstrations yet.