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Editor’s note: This statement was originally published by the Tribuno del Pueblo, sister publication of the People’s Tribune.
SAN DIEGO, CA — On May 30, 2025, during the evening hours in South Park, San Diego, an unacceptable raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occurred, prompting commendable members of the community to stand up in defense of people detained by federal agents.
South Park, a neighborhood characterized primarily by white, liberal, and upper-middle-class residents, experienced this incident on a Friday afternoon when the community usually gathers for socializing and dining at local establishments such as Buena Forchetta, from where some of the managers and staff were arrested.
San Diegans, dissatisfied with the event, and activists and human rights defenders, acted to document the situation, taking photographs and recording videos. Pedro Ríos posted the following on his Instagram:
“ICE’s HSI unit conducted a raid at a popular restaurant in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood. About 3 dozen agents, some in full tactical gear, arrested restaurant workers while patrons there and around the area were enjoying dinner. The federal agents didn’t expect a resounding rejection by the neighbors and patrons. The community spontaneously protested the ICE agents. ICE discharged three flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowd. The people instead, pushed ICE agents out of their community forcing the vehicles to retreat, shouting anti-fascist slogans. This is the way it should be everywhere.”
Following this event, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram were used to inform the broader San Diego community about the discontent felt by not only the residents of South Park, but also those across the city. This response pointed to the current administration’s domestic presidential agenda, which is seen as an attack on the working-class immigrant population and sometimes even U.S. citizens.
The rise in violent assaults against communities that fail to adhere to these policies and laws is concerning; the community is no longer merely observing and remaining passive regarding these injustices.
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