San Diegan protesters took to the streets on January 10 and 11, participating in the country-wide protests called “ICE out for good,” in honor of the late American, Renee Good, after being shot to death by Jonathan Ross an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, January 7. The protests in San Diego County took place across multiple cities, with an estimated 4,000 participants over two days, many of whom gathered downtown near the federal courthouse. These protesters demonstrated against violent enforcement used by ICE agents, encouraged accountability of those agents, and advocated for abolishing ICE.
Many residents, despite not participating, supported these protests. Samuel Cisneros, an English teacher at La Jolla High, explained, “We have the right to protest, and thankfully, there are people who are motivated to get out there and show their point of view. But now the threat is the Trump administration to take a step further and invoke the Insurrection Act.” Peaceful assembly is protected under the First Amendment; however, if the Insurrection Act is enacted, it would allow for domestic usage of the military.
Questions arose on whether or not incidents of violent enforcement use against protests are a form of fear-mongering, discouraging people from future protests. Marina Garcia, a junior, stated, “I think some, but I think it’s dramatized by the media.” With events still unfolding many remain uncertain whether ICE will change how it upholds the United States’s laws.
