LOS ANGELES — Waving a flag stitched from two nations, Alondra Zavala joined more than a thousand demonstrators in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, rallying against immigration enforcement and federal program cuts she says threaten families like hers.
“Half of a Mexican flag and half of the United States flag,” Zavala said, describing the banner she carried through the streets. “People think that just because we’re fighting for Mexicans, we don’t care about America or don’t want to be here, but we love this country, so we want to fight for it too.”
Zavala, born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, said fear has gripped her family since ICE raids began earlier this year. “A lot of the times, they won’t want to go out because it is scary — even just going out to the grocery store,” she said.
CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, organized the march titled “We the People Are Rising: Stop the Hate, Stop the Raids,” and it drew community members, activists, and local leaders to protest what they said were reckless cuts to health care and social programs during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“We’re denouncing the ICE raids that have taken place in our communities,” said Kathia Garcia, a programs manager with CHIRLA. “We ask people to gather today to stop the hate and fight back against a system that has been oppressing our immigrant communities.”
The Trump administration has denied accusations of unlawful immigration enforcement tactics, claiming instead that the shutdown stems from Democrats’ push to expand health care access to undocumented immigrants — a claim Democratic lawmakers reject.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said the cuts are already being felt across Los Angeles.
“They’re defunding health care. They’re defunding the social safety net of folks — whether it’s food, health care, or pathways to jobs,” Jurado said. “These are the things that our communities need.”
For Zavala, the sight of hundreds marching beside her brought a rare moment of hope. “It honestly makes me a little emotional just because there’s so many people out here fighting for the same cause,” she said. “It’s really beautiful to see all these people coming together.”
As chants echoed between skyscrapers and flags waved under the morning sun, marchers said their message was simple — unity in the face of fear.