Protestors hold inverted American flags and signs that say ‘Defund ICE’ at a No Kings protest in Santa Cruz in June. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)
Anti-ICE protests
- 4-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 at 6001 La Madrona Drive, Scotts Valley.
- 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 at Capitola Beach, Capitola.
SCOTTS VALLEY >> Local activists plan to protest outside the Hilton Hotel in Scotts Valley starting at 4 p.m. on Friday. The demonstration is part of a nationwide day of action called for by residents and activists in Minneapolis, where the federal government has flooded the streets with immigration agents to carry out an aggressive enforcement campaign.
The protests across the U.S. today, called for by liberal organizations Indivisible and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), will target companies that they say have supported President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The Hilton Hotel corporation has come under fire for hosting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol agents in Minneapolis, and for cutting ties with a Minneapolis Hilton franchise that refused to let rooms to federal agents. Activists are also calling for a boycott of Target, Home Depot, Enterprise and other companies that have supported the immigration crackdown.
The demonstrations are the second nationwide day of protest in response to the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis by a border patrol agent earlier this month. Good was a Minneapolis resident volunteering as a legal observer, and was driving away from a border patrol agent when he fired three shots, striking her in the head.
“This is government sanctioned violence,” said Sage Smiley, a Santa Cruz County resident that is organizing today’s action in Scotts Valley. “I think Minneapolis is a test run, for them to see what they can get away with, if there is any stopping them. We have to stop them.”
In an emailed press release, Smiley said the national Hilton corporation, not the specific franchise in Scotts Valley, is the target of the demonstration.
Separately, an anti-ICE paddle out is planned by local surfing group Women on Waves at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Capitola Beach. A social media post from the group describes the event as being about “showing up together, sparking conversation, and building clear bridges to action.”
“We will hold space to honor the lives lost due to ICE enforcement and to stand in solidarity with the families who have been torn apart through detention practices,” the post reads. “This moment is about visibility, remembrance, and a collective refusal to look away.”
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Nik Altenberg is a bilingual reporter and assistant editor at Santa Cruz Local. Nik Altenberg es reportera bilingüe y editora asistente para Santa Cruz Local.
