Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Thursday evening, marching and chanting in front of San Jose City Hall to protest a reported federal immigration crackdown in the Bay Area, capping a day that saw an abrupt turnaround on plans to send agents to the region and a dramatic standoff in the East Bay.
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The demonstration followed earlier clashes between protesters and federal personnel in Oakland over a reported influx of over 100 federal agents into the Bay Area. After the demonstrations had already begun early Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he would back down from a planned deployment into San Francisco.
Still, as the sun waned Thursday afternoon, it was unclear whether the rest of the Bay Area would also be free from federal enforcement efforts, and protesters across the Bay met the announcement with skepticism.
“I understand that he rescinded his intent to invade us, but he’s not exactly a trustworthy leader whose word we can depend on,” said Rebeca Armendariz, director of movement building for Working Partnerships, at the San Jose protest. “The community feels that. We feel that, and so we’re going to keep organizing, keep preparing and providing resources and services to our community so they’ll be empowered.”
Protestors carried signs reading “full rights for all immigrants” and “abolish ICE.” Others marched and joined in chants of “when ICE shows up, don’t freeze” and “from Chicago to the Bay, immigrants are here to stay”
Some attendees set up a table offering resources such as the phone number to the Rapid Response Hotline and “know your rights” cards.
The protest was not the only scheduled event in the Bay Area. Crowds were also being called to Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco for a similar rally at the same time. Bay Resistance, which organized the event, said in a statement on social media that “we are ready to stand with our communities against any ICE escalation or deployment of national guard elsewhere in the bay.”
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.
