Alan Vargas, a 24-year-old stockroom worker in Corona, says there is a saying in the immigrant community, “sin papales, sin miedo”: no papers, no fear.
But the ICE raids in Southern California have challenged that mantra. Not only have wanted criminals who are in the U.S. illegally been arrested and deported, but undocumented, though otherwise law-abiding, workers have been targeted as well by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in unmarked vans.
Vargas said he is one of the few in his immediate and extended family with legal status, and the family is concerned what the federal government will do next.
“This administration seems to have no plan. It seems to want to terrorize communities,” Vargas said during a peaceful protest attended by some 300 sign-holding and chanting people in downtown Riverside on Friday, June 13. “What (my family) told me is if there is anything that is going to matter, it is to stand up and resist. They feel like they came to this country to thrive and not be bullied by this administration.”
As Vargas spoke, the crowd chanted, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state.”
President Donald Trump, the architect of the enforcement, has said illegal immigrants take jobs from American workers, burden taxpayers, put a strain on hospitals and schools and commit crimes.
The crowd gathered at Orange Street and Mission Inn Avenue, in front of the Chinese Pavilion outside the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. Protesters marched down to University Avenue where they headed east, then up Lemon Street and then back west on Mission Inn.
The Riverside Police Department closed its Orange Street headquarters for the day at 10:30 a.m. as a precaution because officers didn’t know protesters’ plans, said Officer Ryan Railsack, a department spokesman. The station is about a half-mile, or four-minute walk, from the protest site.
There was no visible law enforcement at the rally, nor were officers stationed outside the police station, Riverside County Sheriff’s or District Attorney’s offices or the county or federal courthouses.
Thursday, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez posted a message to Facebook that said officers will protect the rights of peaceful protesters.
“But crossing the line into violence, vandalism, or criminal activity is something we will not tolerate. We are committed to serving everyone in Riverside and working with the community to keep our city safe,” Gonzalez wrote.
Attendees included Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina, who said his father came to the U.S. in search of a better life.
“It is not the country that we are used to living in,” Medina said. “It’s not what it should be.”
Protesters held signs that read, “Dignity, not detention,” “ICE is the American Gestapo” and “Abolish ICE,” with a drawing of the sun melting an ice cube.
Elizabeth Adame, a 66-year-old retired school teacher from Riverside, jokingly made sure she received credit for the ice cube artwork on the sign held by daughter Anna Green, a 28-year-old Riverside resident.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of protests since the inauguration about the deplorable state of our government with the wannabe dictator who is now leading our country,” Adame said. “And seeking Sen. (Alex) Padilla attacked by federal officers just for asking a question of (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem just for asking a question and having seen him tackled and handcuffed in the federal building was appalling to me.”
Green said he was protesting because “A bureaucracy that makes it difficult to exist. … and then rips families apart is not something I want to support.”
As of 1 p.m., about an hour into the protest, the only trouble came when someone drove by and made a comment that prompted protesters to spin around. The crowd cheered and waved gestures — some impolite — at the man.
Vargas took to the bullhorn to calm things down.
“Let him have his fame,” Vargas said.
