The ongoing anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests across American states need no special introduction to people who have been following it. The protests are a result of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, which he announced in January 2025.
Initially intended to remove immigrants posing significant threats to national security and public safety, the policy has been allegedly used to abruptly detain, abuse and deport individuals from their homes, workplaces, and public areas.
The protests intensified following the consecutive killings of two U.S. citizens – Renée Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti – in January 2026 in Minneapolis.
In Santa Ana, California, ICE and Border Patrol agents reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas against a few protesters, injuring them in the process. According to The Panther, in January, two men were blinded in one eye during clashes with federal agents at anti-ICE demonstrations.
One of them was a man named Britain Rodriguez – an Orange County resident. According to reports, federal agents abruptly opened fire at him while he was participating in a demonstration in the area.
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“I remember hitting the ground and feeling like my eye exploded in my head,” he said. Another individual, Kaden Rummler, was struck in the eye by a projectile and also lost vision in one of his eyes.
The Santa Ana City Council is preparing a public hearing to review the Santa Ana Police Department’s (SAPD) management of the initial protests in June 2025. These demonstrations followed massive ICE enforcement operations in Los Angeles and Orange County the summer 2024.
On June 6, 2025, ICE agents conducted immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles, arresting 44 people in a military-style operation. Demonstrations led to property damage, looting and clashes with law enforcement. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and imposed a curfew in downtown areas. ICE continued raids and immigration sweeps across Southern California, causing widespread public outrage.
Trump deployed 4,100 National Guard troops and 700 marines to the streets of Los Angeles. Critics said that such heavy-handed measures have only worsened political tensions within the state. In Santa Ana, community groups organized weeklong demonstrations. Critics questioned the SAPD’s response, alleging that officers used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters.
Trump further labeled the protesters as “animals” and “foreign enemy,” as people accused him of bringing in an authoritarian style of governance. In addition, National Guard troops were stationed near the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, and military vehicles were seen downtown.
By fall and early winter in 2025, demonstrations in Santa Ana reduced in size and frequency, though ICE arrests reportedly continued in Anaheim and Santa Ana.
Deportations in California increased from 895 cases in June to 1,723 in September 2025. On January 9, 2026, a confrontation occurred outside the federal building in Santa Ana. According to the Los Angeles Times, federal agents attempted to detain a protester named Skye Jones, injuring many people in the process.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials described the crowd as violent, alleging protesters threw objects at officers. However, Voice of OC later reported that SAPD officers disputed that account, claiming the demonstration was peaceful and nonviolent.
On January 30, organizers gathered for a nationwide “ICE Out” protest, encouraging people to avoid work and spending for the day. In Santa Ana, protesters gathered at Sasscer Park before marching downtown, temporarily shutting down Fourth Street.
On February 5, hundreds of Orange High School students walked out and marched to the Orange Circle, shouting anti-ICE slogans and carrying banners that read “ICE OUT OF OC.”
Minnesota and Illinois have filed lawsuits seeking court injunctions to halt immigration enforcement operations in their states. In their lawsuits, the states argued that DHS and ICE agents have “terrorized” communities and violated constitutional rights. It remains to be seen if Southern California will follow.
