San José Activists March on International Migrants Day, at a Time of Unprecedented Threats

In commemoration of International Migrants Day, dozens of faith leaders, activists and residents marched through San José on Thursday to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies and pressure the city to bolster investments in immigration legal services.

Participants from the nonprofit Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network and the multi-faith group PACT reenacted “La Posada,” a Latin American tradition dramatizing a scene in the Bible where Mary and Joseph seek shelter but are repeatedly turned away — a metaphor for the U.S.’s treatment of asylum seekers today, advocates said.

Joanna Becerra, a community leader with Amigos de Guadalupe, spoke through an interpreter about the critical need for legal representation. She cited the administration’s expanded funding for enforcement — an estimated $170 billion federal budget for ICE — as a direct threat to families in the South Bay.

“The Trump administration has put together a massive machine to deport millions of people,” Becerra said. “When people facing deportation have access to legal representation, they have a way better chance at a positive outcome.”

The coalition, which includes the South Bay Labor Council and Amigos de Guadalupe, is demanding that the San José City Council allocate an additional $500,000 toward the legal defense of immigrant communities. This would bring the city’s total commitment to roughly $1.5 million for legal services and rapid response networks.

The push follows similar moves in neighboring Alameda County and San Francisco, where officials recently increased their own funding for immigrant legal defense in anticipation of federal policy changes.

With President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program recently expanding to include attacks on naturalized citizens and challenges to birthright citizenship in the Supreme Court, San José leaders are racing to fortify local protections.

The council moved forward with measures to establish “ICE-free zones” on city property—barring federal agents from using city parking lots or facilities for operations—and banned federal immigration officers from concealing their identities with masks.

“We’re on the offense,” said San José Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who led both of those initiatives, and who joined the march. “I was watching what happened in Chicago and Los Angeles … so I took those test cases and started doing what those legislators were doing.”

Ortiz acknowledged that the city faces a budget shortfall, meaning difficult choices lie ahead during the mid-year budget review. He stressed that funding legal defense might require cuts to other programs or outreach to philanthropy, but argued inaction is not an option.

The threat of raids has already rippled through the local economy in East San José, Ortiz said. La Perla Taqueria, a small business in his district, recently announced it would close. He attributed the struggle, in part, to a drop in clientele as fear grips the neighborhood.

“I’ve spoken to businesses who have seen a 40%-50% decrease in their customers,” Ortiz said. “They’re scared to go to their local restaurants … and it’s impacting our entire ecosystem.”

The march made strategic stops to deliver their demands, including at the office of U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San José). While Father Jon Pedigo, executive director of PACT, praised Lofgren as a longstanding ally in Congress, the group asked federal lawmakers to act with greater urgency.

Pedigo noted that while the Posada is traditionally a celebration of hope, the mood this year has shifted toward vigilance against rising “intolerance” and “white Christian nationalism.”

“We see the light getting darker,” Pedigo said. “We’re knocking on doors. Not just asking, but demanding a response for justice for immigrants.”

The coalition’s demands also highlighted the intersection of immigration status and housing, calling for services that specifically include unhoused residents in their planning.

Paul Fong of the South Bay Labor Council emphasized that the fight for immigrant rights is inextricably linked to labor rights in the region.

“Our unions are negotiating right now for strong contracts, fair wages and safe working conditions,” Fong said. “The work succeeds when the broader community stands with us, especially as immigrant workers are targeted and exploited to weaken labor standards for everyone.”

Speaking to the crowd, Huy Tran, SIREN’s executive director, reflected on his own family’s journey as refugees from Vietnam.

“I knew that all of us came here for the same reasons: Safety. Security. Stability,” Tran said. “We are as American as anybody else in this country. No document or decree can take that from us.”

The demonstration in San José coincided with similar actions in Fresno and 25 other cities across the U.S. as part of a national mobilization by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement.