Protesters in Mira Mesa, El Cajon, Encinitas and across the county rallied Saturday against ICE and the Trump administration.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Protests erupted across San Diego County Saturday, joining a nationwide movement opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration after a woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this week.

In Encinitas, crowds filled every corner at the intersection of Encinitas Boulevard and El Camino Real, holding signs and chanting as drivers honked in support. 

A similar scene played out earlier in El Cajon, where organizers said hundreds showed up, united by frustration and urgency.

Connie Elder, a protest organizer, expressed the growing concern among demonstrators:

“I think the message is, wake up East County, wake up, America. This is not usual. This is not normal, and it is headed for a really bad dark place.”

Elder described the challenges facing the country under current leadership:

“Dealing with this administration is like playing Whack a Mole. It’s every other day there’s a new issue– we invade another country, two days later we shoot a woman in Minneapolis on the streets.”

Protesters like Gregg Ward said they felt compelled to show up and make their voices heard.

“I feel it’s important that I join with all these other people and saying, Hey, let’s wake up, let’s realize what’s going on here and try to stop it,” Ward said.

Meanwhile in Mira Mesa, hundreds more people rallied. 

“It’s not just one thing, it is so many things, it’s Venezuela, it’s the oil, it’s ICE,” Evie Walls, who joined the protest said. “This administration has done nothing for the average American.”

Many people at the protests said that anger was giving way to something deeper– fear and hopelessness.

“There is not much that we can do, except for use our voices, which they are actively trying to silence so emotions are high, tensions are rising,” One protester said.

That urgency was palpable at every rally.

“Assert your freedom and liberties now, or they’ll be taken from you later. They’re already being taken,” Another protester said.