Across Bay Area, ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ Meets Trump Crackdown With Protests

Across the Bay Area, immigrant rights advocates and allies participated in a national day of action on Monday, refusing to work or attend school in solidarity amid President Trump’s crackdown.

Organizers also called on the public to abstain from shopping and for businesses to close their doors to mark what was called A Day Without Immigrants. Ronald Cruz, an attorney at the civil rights group By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, said he hoped the demonstrations would show the economic benefits that immigrants and undocumented workers bring to the United States.

“We are going to resist Trump’s deportations and defend our friends, coworkers, families, neighbors and classmates,” Cruz told KQED.

At Oakland’s Fruitvale BART station, around 100 people gathered Monday morning with signs that read “Immigrants Built This Country” and “No One is Illegal” and marched through the streets. Organizers encouraged residents to intervene on behalf of immigrant or undocumented neighbors if they saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their communities.

“We want to encourage people to build community defense guards,” said Jose Lagos, a community organizer with BAMN. “There’s a high chance we can stop those deportations if we’re prepared to act collectively.”

The national day of action is traditionally held in May but was moved forward this year in light of the Trump administration’s threats of mass deportations. Since the start of his second term, Trump has signed several executive orders on immigration, several of which have received backlash from community organizers and officials in sanctuary cities such as San Francisco and Oakland.

Many Bay Area residents and leaders are concerned about what Trump’s aggressive stance could mean for undocumented people in the region. There were reports of immigration enforcement raids in San Francisco and San Jose last week, and nonprofit groups working in immigrant communities are concerned about the fear and anxiety being caused by Trump’s threats and directives.

“I want to use my voice to help empower those who are afraid,” said Rubi Cortes, whose parents immigrated from Mexico. “Trump is creating divisions and hatred, and that’s not a good leader.”

BAMN attorney Cruz said policies like the Laken Riley Act, a law signed by Trump that directs federal immigration officers to detain undocumented persons who have been accused but not convicted of certain crimes, criminalize immigrant communities and encourage racist rhetoric.

He added that communities need to band together to protect their most vulnerable.

Over 300 high school students from throughout Sonoma County also participated in Monday’s day of action. The county has a significant Latinx population, and several students and their families are undocumented, said Isabel Lopez, executive director of the nonprofit Raizes Collective.

“Their hope is for the administration of all school districts to declare their schools sanctuaries and to stand up against ICE raids,” Lopez said. “By uniting and showing the Sonoma County leadership that we do have power in numbers, they will be able to push not just for sanctuary districts and schools but to implement a sanctuary law countywide.”

Across California, other groups have also organized against Trump’s directives. Hundreds of students at UC Berkeley marched through the university’s campus last week in an act of solidarity with their undocumented classmates. In Los Angeles, thousands of people rallied in the city’s downtown area on Sunday, blocking off highways and pouring into the streets.

KQED’s Vanessa Rancaño contributed to this report.