I've been marching for immigrants' rights since I was a child. I won't stop now.

USA Today

18-06-2025

I've been marching for immigrants' rights since I was a child. I won't stop now. | Opinion Los Angeles holds the moral consciousness of a divided nation. As the demonstrations continue and spread to other cities, let us be clear-eyed on who and what we are fighting for.
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Protesters defy curfew order from LA mayor, police make mass arrests
In an effort to curb vandalism and looting, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew for parts of downtown Los Angeles.
Recent ICE raids in Los Angeles are unprecedented in their cruelty, targeting vulnerable immigrant communities.
The deployment of the National Guard and Marines in response to peaceful protests against the raids is highly unusual.
The handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla for questioning the administration's immigration policies highlights the escalating tension.
Increased funding for immigration enforcement and potential changes to the census raise concerns about the future of immigrant rights.
I was 6 years old when I first marched for immigrant rights in downtown Los Angeles. It was 1994, and then-California Gov. Pete Wilson was seeking reelection.
To hold onto power, he championed the passage of Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to deny social services to undocumented individuals and made the immigrant community his political scapegoat.
Marching alongside immigrant families, I learned at an early age what it meant to petition one's government. Prop. 187 passed but was later ruled unconstitutional by the courts. What resulted thereafter was one of the greatest demonstrations of Latino civic engagement in American history that transformed the state's political makeup still felt to this day.
ICE raids in Los Angeles show a new level of cruelty
More than 30 years later, I was back on the streets of my city advocating once again for immigrants.
Since early June, I have joined seniors, children, priests and others peacefully calling for an end to the latest indiscriminate raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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While raids of our immigrant communities are regrettably nothing new, what has transpired recently is unprecedented in its cruelty. We must call on the American public to ask itself what it will do while the demonstrations run their purpose and course.
The examples are striking:
When nearly 1 in 10 of our county's residents are undocumented, chances are we know someone without legal status because they attend our schools, work in our small businesses and contribute to our state and local tax base.
We can begin by mobilizing financial resources to the immigrant-serving organizations supporting impacted families. There is a tremendous need to provide legal services, as many detained immigrants are already facing deportation without representation and due process.
The president's recent call to expand deportations, especially in Los Angeles, underscores the importance of these resources.
There is also an urgent need to closely monitor the developments of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Donald Trump's signature tax cut initiative. One of the provisions in the bill is to significantly increase resources for immigration enforcement, including an additional $75 billion over four years for immigrant detention and deportation.
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President Trump is moving too far on immigration
Public opinion polling is quickly making clear, especially among nearly two-thirds of Latinos, that Trump is moving too far on immigration.
And 86% of Latino voters want a humane approach to immigration policy that includes a pathway to citizenship.
Then there are the actions on the horizon that will decide if the events in Los Angeles can translate into long-term political change.
At stake during the 2026 midterm elections and beyond is the control of the U.S. House of Representatives, key U.S. Senate races in Georgia and Texas, and governorships in places like Arizona and Nevada. Our votes can decide the leaders who hold these offices, and whether they will support or oppose the immigration policies of the remaining years of this president's administration.
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A political tilt may appear inevitable given the current political climate, but it is not guaranteed. Latino outreach and the case for voter participation remain a perennial challenge in American politics. During the 2024 presidential election, for example, 45% of Latinos reported no contact from any political party.
Finally, preparations for the next decennial census, a constitutionally mandated process that aims to count all people in our nation regardless of their status, are already underway, and we must stay vigilant.
Lawmakers are already attempting to add a citizenship question to the next census. If successful, immigrants will be dissuaded from participating for fear of being targeted, and the resulting undercount will cause us to lose our rights to political representation and federal resources for our communities.
Los Angeles holds the moral consciousness of a divided nation. As the demonstrations continue and spread to other cities, let us be clear-eyed on who and what we are fighting for: dignity for the least among us and the defense of our democracy for all.
What we choose to do now for them, as I did as a 6-year-old boy, will impact us and our country for generations to come.
Christian Arana is the vice president of Civic Power and Policy at the Latino Community Foundation in Los Angeles.