As the 47th President, Donald Trump, was sworn in for his second presidential term on Monday, crowds gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to protest. The plaza, which has long been a community stage for protests and activism, was covered in signs calling for justice and protection for marginalized groups.
Organized by Centro CSO, a nonprofit pushing for Chicano self-determination and community rights, the rally was a call to action on key issues such as legalization for all undocumented immigrants, reproductive rights, an end to deportations, and solidarity with Palestine.
The protest was spearheaded by a coalition of organizations, such as United Teachers Los Angeles, the National Lawyers Guild, and Eastside Padres. Scheduled speakers included City Councilmember Ysabel J. Jurado and Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Rocio Rivas.
Community members from organizations hoped to shine more light on the struggles of immigrants and the importance of solidarity. The protest lasted roughly two hours as the crowd heard from community organizers, teachers, union workers and elected officials. After, the group took to the streets of Boyle Heights to march and chant.
Jefferson Azevedo, a graduate student and activist at the University of Southern California, was one of hundreds who made their way to East Los Angeles for the protests. “It’s a day for us not only to remember Martin Luther King’s history and what it left for us and his importance in the movement but also to show solidarity with migrants and Latinx people who are now under another threat from another Trump government,” Azevedo said.
Angelica Reyes, who has worked as an educator in L.A. public schools for eight years, is advocating for her students and community, emphasizing the importance of solidarity in the face of threats and the power of collective action.
“Our students and our parents and our communities are extremely terrified, and that’s on purpose. Folks have been doing these scare tactics [mass deportation threats] in order to make our community go into hiding,” Reyes said.
Reyes emphasized that everyone is impacted by the threat of deportation, including her students with mixed-status families. “Even folks that are citizens are scared and worried because they know about the history of deportation for US citizens…it’s important for us to spread information about the past, about how we’ve resisted in the past.”
City District 14 Councilwoman Jurado spoke to the crowd about her personal experiences with immigration and the need for support from city leaders. “I wouldn’t be here but for the work and resilience of my undocumented father. I am here with you standing in solidarity because this is more important right now for our city to make sure that immigrants, despite the fear that they have, are going to continue to work here and live here,” said Jurado, calling on elected leaders to protect the community.
“It’s on the city of Los Angeles’ leadership to fight and stand in solidarity with you because elected officials might come and go but the community still stands,” she said.
In the evening, hours after the protests had concluded, President Trump issued numerous executive orders including one to revoke birthright citizenship, a move already being met with legal action from 22 states and civil rights groups, according to the Associated Press. Trump also shut down the CBP One app which had been created under the Biden administration as a way for asylum seekers to enter the U.S. legally after presenting their cases at the border.
While the focus was mostly on Trump’s actions and statements, community members stressed that the issues surrounding immigration spanned beyond just one administration. “We, too, have to remember that it also has been going on through other presidents now, Democrat presidents too. It’s not just Republicans,” said Azevedo.
The community emphasizes that these protests are also a reminder that these issues don’t only affect one group. “There’s immigrants from all different backgrounds, and folks forget that. Oftentimes they think it’s a Latino, Latina issue, and it’s not. And so if we fix issues for one group, one demographic, it helps uplift absolutely everyone,” added Reyes.