Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor

Heciel Nieves Bonilla, Assistant News Editor 

Hundreds of people marched through Richmond on Friday against surging nationwide deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, as well as President Donald Trump’s crackdowns on protests in Los Angeles.

Trump called 700 Marines to LA on June 9 in addition to deploying National Guard troops on June 7, marking an unprecedented escalation amid an intensifying anti-ICE movement. 

The protest in Richmond was peaceful and kicked off a series of hundreds of demonstrations planned for the weekend in Virginia and across the country. Gov. Glenn Youngkin told reporters that morning he is preparing state resources — including the Virginia National Guard — ahead of the demonstrations.

Friday’s protest was led by Virginia’s chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Organizer Violeta Vega condemned Trump for going after immigrant families following legal processes — such as Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador despite having legal status — and changing the rule books every day.

“I can see families around that are terrified, that are scared to leave their home,” Vega said. “That’s what we’re fighting for.”

Virginia is one of the top five states experiencing a dramatic increase in immigration enforcement, according to newly released data. Over 2,000 people received deportation orders in March alone, with over 300 of them from the Richmond area. 

Youngkin signed an executive order in February directing state law enforcement to collaborate with ICE on identifying and arresting undocumented immigrants. 

Vega comes from a family of Peruvian immigrants. She protests despite fearing for their safety because she believes coming out and mobilizing is the answer. 

“My mother works over 70 hours a week, my siblings go to school and they’re scared that she’s not going to be home when they come home,” Vega said.

3rd District School Board Member Ali Faruk gave a speech to the crowd, saying it is surreal to see people in power shrug their shoulders and comply with fascists. To Faruk, fascists have a need to create enemies for people to hate, and this time it is immigrants. 

“You will never convince me to be scared of people in my community,” Faruk said.

The Richmond City School Board declared city schools to be a “safe zone” from immigration enforcement in february, according to VPM News. 

Protesters marched in rainy weather from Abner Clay Park through Jackson Ward and up Broad Street, chanting “No justice, no peace, we want ICE off our streets!” and “¡Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos!” meaning “We are here and not leaving” — drawing supportive honks from cars on the busy street.

Protester Dylan Wilkinson said he was present for Charlottesville’s deadly “Unite the Right Rally” in 2017. He believes racism in America has only gotten worse since. 

“We were starting to get along, and then Trump, and then COVID and then more Trump,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson works as a safety supervisor for a construction company in Richmond. ICE recently raided his workplace and arrested four employees, he said. Now the rest are terrified to show up to work.

“There’s so many families there, they all depend on that job. Now they’re too scared to make their money,” Wilkinson said.

Joy Puckett, another protester, told the crowd she understood what the country was facing when police shut down Palestine protests at VCU. What is happening affects everyone, so people should use their privilege to speak up, she said. 

“My voice is shaking right now, but it’s better to say something with your voice shaking than to say nothing,” Puckett said.

Protests ramp-up nationwide

Trump’s use of Marines in LA was their first domestic deployment since the 1992 Rodney King riots, which were broadly violent compared to the recent and mostly peaceful week of demonstrations, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Trump’s calling of the California National Guard has incited a court battle over the action’s legality, which would typically fall under the purview of the Governor, according to the Associated Press. A district judge declared the deployment illegal, but an appeals court temporarily blocked the order until June 17.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a televised address that “Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles” and that “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes — the moment we’ve feared has arrived.”

Trump and his “border czar” Tom Homan have threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts and did not rule out Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, according to NBC News.

Higher turnouts are expected for the hundreds of “No Kings” protests planned this Saturday — which coincides with a military parade being held in Washington D.C. celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, as well as Trump’s birthday. More than three dozen localities in Virginia will participate.

Youngkin told reporters that he supports the First Amendment, but there would be zero tolerance for violence during the protests. 

“If you violate the law, you’re gonna be arrested,” Youngkin said.