Roughly 300 people gathered Wednesday evening outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana to protest the ongoing mass immigration raids in Orange County.
\nThe peaceful protest began shortly after 6 p.m. and soon tripled in size as people from all walks of life congregated in front of a road closure, occupied by at least six members of the California National Guard on North Birch and 4th Street.
\nChants such as \u201cICE Out of OC\u201d and \u201cTrump Out of OC\u201d could be heard throughout the group as people held up various creative signs and carried Mexican and American flags.<\/p>\n
\nNavy veteran Jason Martinez of Santa Ana holds an American flag saying, \u201cI\u2019m More American\u201d as he joins protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
Navy veteran Jason Martinez of Santa Ana holds an American flag saying, \u201cI\u2019m More American\u201d as he joins protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
California National Guards stand guard opposite protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Sgt. First Class Mike, right, of the California National Guard gives a fist-bump to Donovan Diaz, 7, of Santa Ana, after giving him a bottle of water, as his father, Michael Diaz, looks on after the protesters left the vicinity of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
A woman joins hundreds of protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Hundreds of protesters rally outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Priscilla Yoshida of Los Angeles vents her frustration at the California National Guard during protests outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Priscilla Yoshida of Los Angeles vents her frustration and anger at the California National Guard, left, and an Irvine Police officer, right, during protests outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Hundreds of protesters position themselves opposite the California National Guard outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
A protester with a Spiderman mask joins others outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
California National Guards stand guard opposite protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
A protester holds up her sign outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Hundreds of protesters stand opposite the California National Guard outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Show Caption<\/p>\n
1<\/span> of 12<\/span><\/p>\n Navy veteran Jason Martinez of Santa Ana holds an American flag saying, \u201cI\u2019m More American\u201d as he joins protesters outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n Expand<\/span><\/p>\n Donned in a cowboy hat, Navy veteran Jason Martinez, 28, stood in front of the National Guard with an American flag that read \u201cI\u2019m More American.\u201d His parents were both deported in 2011, a few years before his military enlistment in 2015. \u201cI still think this country can be great,\u201d said Martinez. \u201cThere\u2019s no borders up in heaven, there shouldn\u2019t be (borders) here either,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Several people holding megaphones urged the crowd to \u201ckeep things peaceful\u201d as at least 15 officers from the Irvine Police Department, dressed in riot gear, stood back around the perimeter of the protest. One person carried a Salvadorian flag while another waved a joint American-Pride flag.<\/p>\n For 28-year-old former Santa Ana resident David Vasquez, the protest was an opportunity to show support for the broader immigrant community. \u201cIt feels like the federal government is trying to be as dramatic as possible to elicit a response from people,\u201d said 30-year-old Kelsey Leach from Orange. \u201cIt\u2019s important to come out and nonviolently exercise our First Amendment rights.\u201d<\/p>\n The protest in Santa Ana against immigration raids showcased a community coming together to stand up for their rights and the rights of others. With chants, signs, and a peaceful demeanor, the protesters made their voices heard. The presence of the National Guard and police did not deter the crowd, and the event remained peaceful throughout.<\/p>\n Q: What was the protest about? Introduction to the Protest Roughly 300 people gathered Wednesday evening outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana to protest the ongoing mass immigration raids in Orange County. The peaceful protest began shortly after 6 p.m. and soon tripled in size as people from all walks of life congregated in front of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/OCR-L-SA-PROTEST-0612-01-LO-1.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,842&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16613,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16611\/revisions\/16613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Personal Stories of Protesters<\/h2>\n
The Protest in Action<\/h2>\n
Reasons Behind the Protest<\/h2>\n
\nThe Corona resident carried a large cardboard poster with historic images depicting the displacement and mistreatment of Hispanic immigrants in America. \u201cThese people never got justice,\u201d he said. Vasquez added that his mother was undocumented and had picked fruits and vegetables as an agricultural worker in the 90s, often for little to no pay. At times, he said his mother\u2019s employers would call ICE to \u201cchase out\u201d the workers to avoid paying them.<\/p>\nThe Importance of Peaceful Protest<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: The protest was against the ongoing mass immigration raids in Orange County.
\nQ: Where did the protest take place?
\nA: The protest took place outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana.
\nQ: How many people attended the protest?
\nA: Roughly 300 people attended the protest.
\nQ: Was the protest peaceful?
\nA: Yes, the protest was peaceful, with attendees urged to keep things peaceful by people holding megaphones.
\nQ: What was the role of the National Guard and police at the protest?
\nA: The National Guard and police were present to maintain order, with at least 15 officers from the Irvine Police Department dressed in riot gear standing around the perimeter of the protest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"