Over the past year U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) has formally deported 675,000 people, with even more arrests. Though ICE has existed since 2003, the level of enforcement has never been this large before. While the government claims that these deportations are to keep criminals out of our country and dangerous people away from our citizens, the reality is anything but that. ICE is deporting children, arresting hard-working individuals regardless of citizen status, and killing people in the streets. A ProPublica analysis found that as many as 170 or more detainments in 2025 alone were of legal U.S citizens, some born here, or immigrated legally, further proving that this is not about criminals.
Communities across the country are outraged by the violence and terror being brought to their neighborhoods at the hands of ICE, and in a state with 40% of its population being hispanic or latino, California shares that anger. California is a state with many ties to hispanic and latin history, with its territory once being part of Mexico. Its culture is built on that of the Latin community, with cities such as Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and more having names that originate from Spanish words or important people from Latin America. Without the influence of our neighboring country, California would not be the state it is today, and because of this it’s important to protect the people and their culture.
The people of the Bay Area had already vocalized their opposition to the ICE administration, but after the murder of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents in Minneapolis, more began to speak out. On Jan. 30, 2026 there were protests across the country, with our county proudly taking part in them. People boycotted large corporations, took the day off from work, and walked out from school. Communities gathered peacefully with signs expressing their opinions, and hoped for their voices to be heard. Students from all of the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District (CRPUSD) High Schools partook in the walkout, gathering at the Cotati SMART train station and the Plaza Park in downtown Cotati. Schools in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol also participated, such as Santa Rosa High School and Analy High School; it was also reported that over 1,000 students from all five High Schools in Napa walked out.
People from all over the Bay Area who live different lives, have different histories, and different beliefs have united to speak out against the unnecessary violence that’s taking place all over the country. People have put aside their differences to stand for peace, valuing empathy over the divisive narrative that’s being pushed, and the community is stronger because of that. Messages from the protest pushed for change, wanting a world where families remain together, people feel safe in their towns and cities, and appreciating differences is standard. If the citizens of America keep pushing for this future, then it very well could be attainable.
