{"id":39446,"date":"2025-02-11T18:44:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T02:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=39446"},"modified":"2025-02-11T18:44:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T02:44:52","slug":"oakland-is-an-immigrant-town-hundreds-turn-out-to-rally-against-trumps-deportation-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/02\/11\/oakland-is-an-immigrant-town-hundreds-turn-out-to-rally-against-trumps-deportation-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Oakland is an immigrant town:\u2019 Hundreds turn out to rally against Trump\u2019s deportation plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Raquel Paez, 19, right, holds a sign reading \u201cImmigrants make America great, \u201c as hundreds of demonstrators gather at the intersection of International Boulevard and 35th Avenue during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

POSTED INARTS & COMMUNITY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple community groups participated in the march through Fruitvale on Saturday, Feb. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by\u00a0Azucena Rasilla<\/a><\/strong> Feb. 10, 2025, 12:33 p.m. (Oaklandside.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 100 people carrying signs and flags gathered along 34th Avenue and International Boulevard on Feb. 8 in solidarity with immigrants living in the community without legal status and to protest the looming threat of mass deportations under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration<\/a>. Another group of a little over 100 marched from 98th Avenue along International<\/a> to join the demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loud chants of \u201cDeportations, please say no, Donald Trump has got to go,\u201d and \u201cICE, shut them down, Oakland is an immigrant town\u201d rang out as the marchers waved flags and handwritten signs. The honking of drivers in support of the rally drowned the chants as cars drove by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The protest was organized by Oakland resident Jovanna Diaz, whose father was deported in 2006. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, this is personal. After my dad was deported, he ended up passing away in Mexico. I never got to see him again,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cI\u2019m here to use my voice for my dad and anyone else afraid to come out and use their voice. I wanted to know that there are people here who  will speak up for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diaz told The Oaklandside<\/em> that she posted the flyer on social media, and it began to spread. As more people learned about it, local organizations reached out to her to join the march. BAMN<\/a> and Homies Empowerment<\/a> were two of the organizations that rallied more people to join. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never miss a story.<\/strong> Sign up for The Oaklandside\u2019s free daily newsletter.<\/strong>Email<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Protest080225_EG_29\"\/
Demonstrators march down International Boulevard during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_15\"\/
Jovanna Diaz, 32, left, leads a chant as hundreds of demonstrators march down International Boulevard during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_35\"\/
Jovanna Diaz, 32, holds a sign in remembrance of her father as demonstrators gather at Fruitvale Plaza during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Around 11 a.m., the group that had been rallying on International Boulevard marched to the intersection of 35th Avenue to meet the other group that had marched from 98th Avenue. The group, led by Cesar Cruz, co-founder of Homies Empowerment, based out of deep East Oakland, started as a youth development organization that has transformed into helping the underserved community<\/a> and Oakland youth<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Cruz, the march began on 98th Avenue with a handful of people and others joining as the group started marching to Fruitvale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful when it\u2019s grassroots organizations and people standing up to protest. While it doesn\u2019t change things for society, it does for the individuals who march, who see sisters and brothers next to them from the community because right now, so many of us feel isolated and disillusioned,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cWhen people start to come together and march, it\u2019s a way that they can feel their collective strength.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the corner of 35th Avenue and International, Aztec dancers led by the local Oakland group Ehecatl Tonatiuh conducted a healing circle and a prayer to bless the march, the land, and all participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Protest080225_EG_25\"\/
Demonstrators march down International Boulevard during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_12\"\/
Jackie Guadalupe, 24, left, and Victoria Albaracin, 36, participate in a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_11\"\/
Demonstrators gather at Fruitvale Plaza during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Johanna Salazar and her daughter Julianna Garcia Salazar came to march and recruited friends to join them. The duo displayed posters designed by Salazar\u2019s husband, Javier Salazar, who was deported in 2014<\/a> and now resides in Tijuana and works as a visual artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about my husband, but my community. I have students who have been directly affected. People think kids don\u2019t understand, but they do, and it is heartbreaking. We have to represent and show that we are united. Vamos a seguir apoyando a la raza,\u201d Salazar said, concluding with, \u201cWe are going to continue to support our Latino people,\u201d in Spanish.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salazar works at a school in San Leandro and said the students and their parents fear the possibility of immigration officers showing up. The school, she said, held a \u201cKnow Your Rights\u201d<\/a> event to educate students and their families about what to do if they encounter ICE agents or other federal immigration enforcement personnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, under the new administration, the Department of Homeland Security announced the rollback of a Biden administration policy<\/a> that restricted federal agencies enforcing immigration laws from conducting activities in\u201csensitive\u201d areas,\u201d including schools, churches, and hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Protest080225_EG_32\"\/
Joanna Garcia Salazar, 45, center right, and her family hold artwork created by her husband as demonstrators gather at Fruitvale Plaza during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_16\"\/
Hundreds of demonstrators gather at the intersection of International Boulevard and 35th Avenue during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Protest080225_EG_14\"\/
Demonstrators gather at Fruitvale Plaza during a rally denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After the prayer, the group marched back to Fruitvale Plaza, where Cesar Cruz of Homies Empowerment addressed the crowd and emphasized the importance of rallying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By noon, the larger crowd had dissipated, with a handful staying behind listening to a Mexican corrido called Inmigrantes Unidos<\/em><\/a>, by Jesus Mendes and Los De La Norte, which narrates the sentiment shared by those who attended the march. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResulta, ya quieren deportarme, en eso no estamos de acuerdo. Resulta que por ser inmigrante, mi valor es insignificante. Si supieran lo que hemos sufrido para salir adelante.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(So, they want to deport us, and we disagree. Because I\u2019m an immigrant, my value is insignificant. If only they knew what we went through to get ahead.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AZUCENA RASILLA<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

azucena@oaklandside.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azucena Rasilla is a bilingual journalist from East Oakland reporting in Spanish and in English, and a longtime reporter on Oakland arts, culture and community. As an independent local journalist, she has reported for KQED Arts, The Bold Italic, Zora and The San Francisco Chronicle. She was a writer and social media editor for the East Bay Express, helping readers navigate Oakland\u2019s rich artistic and creative landscapes through a wide range of innovative digital approaches.More by Azucena Rasilla<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

POSTED INARTS & COMMUNITY Multiple community groups participated in the march through Fruitvale on Saturday, Feb. 8. by\u00a0Azucena Rasilla Feb. 10, 2025, 12:33 p.m. (Oaklandside.org) Around 100 people carrying signs and flags gathered along 34th Avenue and International Boulevard on Feb. 8 in solidarity with immigrants living in the community… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39447,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39446\/revisions\/39447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}