Protesters Throughout Bay Area Rally Against Planned ICE Deportation Raids

Thousands of people rallied across the Bay Area Friday evening to protest immigration raids planned for the weekend.

Protests were organized in cities large and small, from San Jose and Oakland to Half Moon Bay, many of them planned by the advocacy group Lights for Liberty.

U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have said they plan to start an operation on Sunday that target those who already have court deportation orders. The operation could last multiple days and include “collateral arrests” of other immigrants who happen to be present.

Immigration enforcement raids were announced by President Donald Trump in a tweet last month, in which he said he would deport “millions of illegal aliens” around the country. Trump delayed shortly thereafter, saying he wanted to give Democrat lawmakers time to offer other solutions.

On Friday Trump confirmed that the raids would start Sunday, saying, “They're going to take people out and they're going to bring them back to their countries. ... Or put them in prison in the countries they came from.”

On Thursday, San Francisco and Stockton immigration officials stated they will refuse pro bono attorneys to reach out to potential clients and will not inform newly arrested noncitizens that free legal help is available.

In response, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a complaint in U.S. District Court on Friday to prevent ICE from blocking immigration legal aid nonprofits from providing services to the people who may be arrested this weekend.

Immigration authorities have arrested 22 people in the Bay Area this week, attorneys say.

It’s not yet known whether any Bay Area cities will be targeted.

At a rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Edgar Salazar said he was nervous about participating because he is a DACA recipient (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). “I can only do so much until I also get in trouble for speaking out,” he said. “I can’t do civic disobedience, because then I’d get detained.”

Another DACA recipient, Yania Escobar, said, “I don’t like to spread fear, but you’re probably better not answering the door unless you’re expecting someone in general."

Mayor Libby Schaaf offered her support in a statement, saying, “I want to assure members of our community not to panic but to be prepared, know your rights and responsibilities. … We are a proud Sanctuary city here in Oakland and we know our rights and our values.”

Schaaf also provided a list of legal aid resources in her statement.

In the South Bay, a crowd of nearly 200 people gathered outside of San Jose City Hall chanting, “Sí, se puede” (yes, we can,)  and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, ICE has got to go!"

The rally began at 7 p.m. with members of the community, of speakers, poets and musicians.

Erendira Ortega, a dancer from Movimiento Cósmico, an indigenous Aztec dance group present at the event, said she showed up at the rally to create awareness of the situation regarding children detained by ICE and to prove that her community cares.

A DACA recipient, Ortega was brought to the country by her Salvadorian mother and Mexican father when she was 11 years old.

“[The United States] has denied me so many opportunities, that if I had been born here, I could have had. It has denied me healthcare, a better job and a better education. But it has given me everything. I’ve been here since I was 11 years old, this is my home,” she said.

She said she was at another immigration rally last year and based on the news she does not feel as if things are progressing.

“I’m happy to be here but it’s difficult to understand why this keeps happening.”

Several members of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national network activists organizing white people for racial justice,  walked up and down the crowds informing people for ways to get involved in Rapid Response Networks.

At 9 p.m. supporters brought out candles and lit them to share a moment of silence for bringing an end to detention camps.

Brenda Zendejas, a San Jose resident and mother recalls running from ICE before she became a U.S. citizen.

“I remember running from ICE in the late 80’s and having to get in a car with my mom to run because ICE was in our neighborhood.”

She recalled her first meal in the U.S. being a Mc Donald’s happy meal and the immigration process being different than what it is today.

“I couldn’t image [my own children] being alone in an unhygienic place that is not safe for them,” she said, referring to recent reports of migrants lacking access to clean water and being told to drink water from toilets by ICE agents.

Local leaders around the Bay Area, including the mayors of San Jose and San Francisco, have criticized the potential raids.

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris tweeted, “Targeting families does not make us safer.”

This post will be updated.

KQED's Monica Lam contributed to this story.