Thousands of Orange County residents loudly railed against federal deportation raids, and scores of other national policies at various protests on Saturday – with many decrying what they say is an increasingly hostile federal government.
The flagship protest was held in Santa Ana’s Centennial Park, the second round of “No Kings” demonstrations in OC as part of a network of thousands of rallies held across the country on Saturday.
Other protests were held in Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, La Habra and Orange, according to a social media post from organizers.
After publication of this story, organizers with Indivisible OC said rallies were also held in Dana Point, Huntington Beach, Laguna Hills and Newport Beach.
The first round of “No Kings” protests were held in June, not long after the ICE raids kicked off in Southern California.
[Read: Orange County Hits the Streets, Rails Against ICE Sweeps]
“They’re trying to label us as un-American – as doing something that hates our country and that is nothing further from the truth,” Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said to protestors on Saturday.
“We want to make sure people aren’t disappeared just because they’re day laborers and landscapers and domestic workers trying to make a living,” he added.
Sarmiento, a former Santa Ana mayor, said it’s time for people to take a stand.
“This is the inflection point, this is the moment, this is the line in the sand where we have to say enough,” he said. “There was that adage, when they go low we go high. I’m going to change it – when they go low, we go toe to toe.”
In an email Saturday afternoon, Santa Ana Police Officer and department spokeswoman Natalie Garcia said city officials estimated 3,000 people were at the protest and no arrests were made as of roughly 4 p.m.
Saturday’s crowd size was estimated to be 12,000 people, according to organizers.
Organizers for the large “No Kings” protest in Anaheim estimated between 12,000 and 15,000 people showed up for the June demonstration while city officials estimated 3,000 people were present.
Saturday’s protest was organized by Women for American Values and Ethics, the OC Indivisible Coalition and 50501 Orange County.
OC Rapid Response Network Program Director Sandra De Anda said deportation sweeps have decreased since federal agents began focusing efforts in other parts of the country.
“It’s not as bad, but people are still disappearing,” De Anda said in an interview.
While the deportation raids were a large focus of Saturday’s protest, organizers and community groups was also focused on the upcoming election on Proposition 50.
The Nov. 4 ballot measure is asking California voters if they want to temporarily redraw Congressional districts to favor Democrats as a response to redistricting efforts to benefit Republicans in states like Texas.
Assemblyman Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim), who also represents Santa Ana, said the November vote will be the most important vote that he will make.
“That will be the significant vote I believe I’ve taken and will take as an elected official at the state level,” Valencia told the crowd on Saturday.
The deportation raids have pushed some Orange County cities to set up relief efforts and legal defense funds for impacted residents – while also raising questions from city council members over whether such efforts could jeopardize critical federal funding.
Next week, Fullerton City Council members are expected to consider launching an immigrant legal aid fund while Santa Ana City Council members are slated to debate whether or not to continue their immigrant aid program for families impacted by the ICE raids.
In an interview, Valencia said city officials have to do a balancing act of sorts when it comes to providing immigration aid funds and notifications – noting Anaheim’s daily public ICE raid updates and various forms of immigrant aid.
“My hope would be for everybody to be as vocal and push as much as they possibly can within their capabilities,” he said. “I’m proud of the fact that I come from Anaheim and Anaheim is leading the charge here in the county with those efforts. But I also understand the concern that a lot of communities have when it comes to the funding that is being pulled daily.”
He also noted that in November, $1.5 million in immigrant legal defense aid is coming from the state – a product of a roundtable discussion of various community leaders over the summer.
[Read: Orange County Feels Economic Fallout of ICE Raids]
In contrast to the heavy protests up north, the closure of the 5 freeway near Camp Pendleton due to a live fire exercise impacted some protesters in the area.
Stephanie Smith stood alone at the 5 overpass at Calefia and said there were plans for a protest there as well.
“I want to stand up for all the freedoms we have in the United States and make sure that we keep them.”
Maximo Santana contributed to this story.
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org
. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.