Thousands of Sacramento residents gathered at Cesar Chavez Park to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations during the ICE Out Sacramento event on Friday.
The protest was student-run with the help of community organizations including Party for Socialism and Liberation and Palestine American League. Local high school students participated in a walk-out against recent incidents in Minnesota. One incident happened on Jan. 24 where 37-year-old American intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was killed after participating in an anti-ICE protest.
Protesters marched from the park past the John Moss Federal Building, around the Capitol Building and back to the park, holding handmade signs and yelling out chants.
Guadalupe Gutierrez, a 31-year-old Sacramento resident, said that since she comes from an immigrant family, she came to support people of color with similar histories and cultures. She said she wants to protest against the wrongdoings of the government.
“Our government is wrong. It is standing up for your fellow man and making sure that people are safe to go home to their families,” Gutierrez said.
She said there are many ways to participate, through donations to shelters and closets as well as joining other marches and protests.
“I would say to people out there who want to come out, you are not alone,” Gutierrez said. “You’re never going to be alone. People got you. Look around. Everyone has your back.”
Many chants were led by the PSL throughout the second half of the protest, though students also led several. Chants included “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here,” “ICE out now” and “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA.”
Nickole Whipple, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, said she and her family came out to fight for and support all communities of color.
“We have to stand up and acknowledge Indigenous people as well,” Whipple said.
Whipple led the crowd in a movement in her native language called “one people, one fire.”
Nghia Nguyen, a community organizer with the PSL, said her organization along with others created a campaign to improve the lives of immigrants. They created flyers that say “ICE is not welcome here” in multiple languages that businesses can hang in their windows.
“This is helping immigrants know where they can go without fear of being called into ICE if someone hears their accent or based on how they look,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said many businesses around Sacramento closed for the day in solidarity with the protest including Rocket Records, Mothers, Good Bottles, Time Tested Books and Casa de Espanol. She encouraged people to look out for other businesses in the area that support immigrant communities.