Demonstrators during protests against expanded deportations efforts in Santa Ana and Orange County run from dispersal tactics on June 9, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
At times this year, our photojournalists had to gear up to capture moments that were not easy to photograph.
This year, visual journalists at Voice of OC, encountered tense moments, including witnessing and photographing immigration related protests where tear gas and rubber bullets were dispersed on protesters in Santa Ana.
There was also a first for Voice of OC this year: documenting the federal occupation of the downtown Santa Ana Civic Center in a photo essay format.
This year also marked a shift toward anonymous portraiture at Voice of OC, as photographers documented vulnerable subjects.
These images included undocumented migrants who chose to share their stories and church leaders who locked their doors so families could attend in peace among heightened federal immigration enforcement, to name a few instances.
Our readers will also find images that tell the story of civic action and the residents, activists who show up at their city councils weekly.
Angelina Hicks, our Voice of OC reporter, also documented stories visually by photographing hundreds of animals in need of homes at Orange County shelters and rescue facilities, giving a face to animals that, at times, could be euthanized if not adopted.
We also mentored Chapman students who documented on-campus protests and traveled throughout Orange County to visually report on community events and city council meetings.
Each year, Voice of OC selects the images that best represent the year. While not every photograph can be included, our team of photographers captured thousands of images in 2025 and narrowed them down to single frames that tell OC’s story.
Demonstrators during a Santa Ana Educator’s Association rally before the Santa Ana Unified School District meeting on Jan. 28, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
County of Orange’s Interim County Executive Officer Michelle Aguirre during the Jan. 28, 2025 Orange County Board of Supervisor meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Dat Nguyen in attendance of a film screening at Tustin Library regarding the experiences of Vietnamese “Boat People” on Feb. 8, 2025. “To be honest with you, the third movie [Finding the Virgo] made by Lauren Vuong is very touching because I was in a reeducation camp… [and] I was also a boat person,” said Nguyen. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC
Members of 100 Black Men of Orange County participate in the OC Black History Parade in Anaheim, Calif. on Feb. 1, 2025. This organization mentors young men from grades six through 12. Credit: BRIAN GUEVARA, Voice of OC
Archeology and Paleontology Preparation Specialist, Ryo Delu, 43 cleans off a Whale and Walrus fossil from the late 80s at the Cooper Center. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA Voice of OC.
Officials unveil the Little Saigon Freeway sign at the dedication ceremony in Westminster, Calif., on April 18, 2025.Credit: EFREM PLAWNER, Voice of OC
Students from El Camino Real Charter High School in Los Angeles celebrate as they receive an award at the SoCal JEA Contest on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC
Biologist and University of Southern California professor Dr. Sergey Nuzhdin stands in the aquaculture lab on campus on Sept. 5, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OCBoats are moored in the harbor at Newport Beach, Calif., on Friday, April 5, 2025. The coastal city is a popular destination for recreational boating, especially as warmer spring weather draws more visitors to the water. CREDIT: KADE MCKENNA, Voice of OC
Carlos Perea, Executive Director for Harbor Institute for Immigrant & Economic Justice during a May 20, 2025 press conference to demand transparency from the police department on ICE activity happening in the Sanctuary City of Santa Ana. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Alejandro Barranca, 25, speaks to media during a vigil in Santa Ana on June 27, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCJanet Collazo, 30, holds back tears and listens to speakers during a candlelight vigil on Friday, June 27, 2025, held for families impacted by immigration enforcement in Orange County, including Narciso Barranco, a gardener who was arrested and beaten by federal agents in Santa Ana. “I saw the video of his detainment and it got me so angry of how he was being treated— the force was not necessary. I used to avoid politics because it’s confusing but I couldn’t just stand back and not stand with my people,” said Collazo. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
A Santa Ana pastor grabs walkie talkies that will be used to communicate with guards stationed outside the church in case there are ICE sightings. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCErika Robles, the founder and CEO of the United Across Borders Foundation holds onto to her necklace with a religious saint. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Rico Kernot (right) and Quinn Weisenburger (left) with their surfboards on Trestles Beach in San Clemente, Calif. on April 24, 2025. Credit: ALLLIE LEICHTER, Voice of OC
An undocumented person living in Santa Ana tends to her garden on June 18, 2025, who fears leaving her home due to immigration raids in the area. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCThe National Guard in front of street closures in downtown Santa Ana on June 18, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
An undocumented mother speaks with Rep. Lou Correa in her living room, asking what will happen to her children if both parents are detained by ICE. “There needs to be more information given to parents on what they should do in any case that their children are left alone,” she said in Spanish. Correa advised the mother to make a plan, ensure U.S. citizen children have their passports, and have a lawyer ready in case the parents are detained. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCRep. Lou Correa delivers groceries from local food banks to residents in Santa Ana who are staying home amid heightened immigration enforcement. Many undocumented community members have stopped working or running daily errands out of fear of being detained in the streets. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Audience members called for the mayor’s resignation during the Santa Ana City Council meeting on June 17, 2025, as immigration enforcement activity unfolded in the city. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCHundreds filled the Santa Ana City Council chambers on June 17, 2025, many calling on city leaders to respond to immigration enforcement in the city. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Demonstrators during protests against expanded deportations efforts in Santa Ana and Orange on June 9, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCAlex Vargas, owner of Vibes Boutique, stands outside her shop on Fourth Street in Santa Ana after a protest against immigration enforcement left her window shattered by a projectile. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Protestors head away from dispersal tactics by the Santa Ana Police Department on June 9, 2025, during a anti-immigration enforcement protest. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Santa Ana City Councilman Johnathan Hernandez stands with protestors as the Santa Ana Police Department forms a line during protests on June 9, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Tracy Miller hugs close friend Tamika Williams after a press conference outside lawyer John Barnett’s home in Laguna Beach on Friday, June 6, 2025. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC
OC Rapid Response network organizer Sandra De Anda speaks at a news conference June 10, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCThe California National Guard outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Santa Ana on June 10, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Demonstrators during protests against expanded deportations efforts in Santa Ana and Orange County on June 9, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCCouncilwoman Jessie Lopez holds protesters back as an officer is pulled away after pushing a demonstrator during the June 9, 2025 protests amid immigration enforcement operations in the county of Orange. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC Credit: JULIE LEOPO, VOICE OF OCFran Sosa, 70, gets her eyes washed after being hit with pepper spray on June 9, 2025, during a protest amid immigration enforcement in Santa Ana. Credit JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCSan Diego Field Office Special response team push protestors blocking a van exiting from the Orange County Superior Court Civil Complex on June 9, 2025, in Santa Ana. Federal officers stand guard outside the federal building in downtown Santa Ana on June 9, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
A man carries a bag of oranges to a market stall at the Buena Park Farmers’ Marketplace in Buena Park, Calif., on Saturday, April 12, 2025. Credit: TOBY SHAPIRO
Tracie Moul and her children sit at a table in Ruby’s Diner at Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, Calif., on May 1, 2025. CREDIT: JOSIAH MENDOZA, Voice of OC
Narciso Barranco holds on to his chest while holding back tears during the July 25, 2025 press conference at the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Mary Obershlake, a U.S. Army veteran and Orange resident raises a fist in the air during the July 22, 2025 Orange City Council meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCCouncilmembers Arianna Barrios,left, and Ana Gutierrez, right, talk to supporters of their resolution after it failed to pass at the Orange City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
People clash over opposing immigration views at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Credit: Josiah Mendoza, Voice of OC.People react to Nicholas Taurus speaking at the City Council meeting in Costa Mesa, Calif., on July 15, 2025. Credit: JOSIAH MENDOZA, Voice of OC.Police attend the City Council meeting in Costa Mesa, Calif., on July 15, 2025. Credit: JOSIAH MENDOZA, Voice of OC.
Cynthia Flores, library assistant for adult public services at Huntington Beach Public Library, holds a packet of Korean Mint available inside the seed library at the Huntington Beach Central Library. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC
Melahat Rafiei, former Orange County Democratic Party leader, arrives to the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse on Friday, August 22, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Community organizers from Resilience OC, Youth Organizing Group, Chamoy and the OC Rapid Response Network hold a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, outside the Costa Mesa City Council chambers, calling for immigrant and tenants’ rights ahead of the council meeting. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Councilman Johnathan Hernandez, right, calls for de-escalation as Santa Ana police handcuff a woman after she questioned why more public speakers were not allowed into the chambers despite empty seats during a Santa Ana City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
From left, Sue Dong, and her husband, Lee Chan, both Chinese immigrants, attend the “No Kings” rally at Centennial Park in Santa Ana, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. “We are here because we need to stand up,” says Dong. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCProtesters attend the “No Kings” rally at Centennial Park in Santa Ana, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
City Attorney Elizabeth Mitchell walks through the San Clemente City Council chambers on Nov. 18, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OCA public speaker urges the San Clemente City Council to reject a proposed lease to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the San Clemente Coast during a meeting on Nov. 18, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
Many visitors stop to take images of the altar in Santa Ana. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC People gather around to watch and take photos of the Christmas lights at Ladera Ranch resident Tony Relvas’ house on Bainbridge Road on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2025. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC
Catholic Charities Executive Director Ellen Roy speaks to Congressman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) after the press conference announcing $1.5 million in state funding for immigration services for local families through the Catholic Charities of Orange County. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
