Over 70 individuals, Bay Area labor unions and activist organizations rallied on Friday in a peaceful protest outside of San José City Hall in support of Minneapolis’ large-scale general strikes and resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protests in Minneapolis aimed to affect the economy and pressure the federal government to remove ICE agents from the city after six weeks of heavy ICE presence, according to a Jan. 23 article published by the New York Times.
Luna Osleger Montañe, community member with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Bay Area, said the solidarity demonstration was one of hundreds across the county.
“I think a lot of different organizations, from unions to immigrant rights organizations to socialist parties like ours, recognize the importance of the general strike happening in Minneapolis and want to make sure that the energy and those sacrifices that people have made in Minneapolis spread across the country as well,” Montañe said.
Plans for this demonstration were shared on the PSL Bay Area Instagram account @pslbayarea, according to the organization’s Instagram.
“We’re out here to not just show support for what’s happening but to make sure we can get organized in a mass movement in our city,” Montañe said.
Kimberely Woo, community organizer with Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), said San José is at risk of conflict similar to Minneapolis with the national attention from the upcoming Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
“ICE and the federal administration have threatened to bring their lawless violence to our own backyard,” Woo said. “In two weeks at Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl, what is supposed to be a unifying beautiful community event… now has dangerous implications because ICE agents want to come here; come to San José and take our people away from us.”
SIREN is an advocacy group focused on providing free legal services, leadership training and civic engagement to support immigrants and refugees, according to a webpage published by SIREN.
Meghann Adams, a candidate running for California Controller under the Peace and Freedom Party, said this was the third event she’s spoken at in the past week and that she believes an ICE presence during the Super Bowl will occur based on recent activity in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“We know that they’re gonna be dispatching ICE everywhere if they feel they can get away with it,” Adams said. “And showing solidarity is really our opportunity to stand against the administration and the entire agenda that is being set for this country.”
ICE presence has been reported locally on Jan. 20th in Santa Clara, according to an Instagram post from the Santa Clara Rapid Response Network.
The Rapid Response Network is a volunteer-run community group that verifies reported ICE activity via 24-hour hotline, according to the Rapid Response Network webpage.
Adams said that attending demonstrations like the one held on Friday reminds people that hope for change exists.
“It can be so isolating and demoralizing just sitting back by yourself,” Adams said. “But then coming out, I think that it’s like a ‘top-off’ of getting your hope and optimism refilled.”
Civic engagement such as protesting can be associated with improved mental health however research is limited, according to a research study by the Journal of Youth Studies.
Holly Hill, a San José retiree, said she was disappointed in the event’s crowd size as a frequent attendee of protests with her friend, Alette Lundeberg since retiring.
“I’m at least pleased that there are a lot of younger people here, it can’t be all gray hairs,” Hill said. “I think (immigration enforcement) was happening, but was quietly and not so in your face; illegally done.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently shared a clip of Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, speaking on Fox News stating ICE agents have immunity and cannot be stopped by any city or state, according to an X (formerly known as Twitter) post by the DHS.
Alette Lundeberg, another retiree who attends protests with Hill, said they both noticed a recent increase in immigration enforcement under President Donald J. Trump and while it differs from previous presidents, they both feel that the United States has always utilized harsh policies.
“The last most devastating (president) I think was Bill freaking Clinton. He really screwed a lot of refugees and immigrants,” Lundeberg said. “Congress has historically, when they were normal, been afraid of approaching this issue.”
