Day Without an Immigrant protest marches through downtown Modesto. ‘This is my home’
A few hundred people gathered on Modesto’s Tenth Street Plaza at noon Monday to protest for immigrant rights. There were Mexican flags, chants, Aztec dancing and lots of supportive honking as the crowd then moved toward the Five Points intersection for a rally.
Sebastian Cervantes helped organize the protest as a member of the Central Valley Black, Indigenous People of Color coalition, a grassroots group that serves Stockton, Turlock, Merced, Fresno and Modesto.
“What got us out here was to show solidarity and support for a lot of workers who are in the fields right now,” he said of the Day Without an Immigrant event.
People showed up with signs that read “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” “We never crossed the border, the border crossed us,” “The real criminal is Trump” and “Speaking for those who can’t.”
Many waved Mexican flags or draped them around their shoulders. Some carried hybrid U.S.-Mexican flags.
“A lot of people here in Modesto have families that work in the field as well, and are also in fear of all the stress and fear-mongering that’s going on with the Trump administration,” Cervantes said.
He said a protest is a great way to show the amount of people willing to get out of their comfort zones to show solidarity.
“It’s very easy to be supportive in terms of social media and stuff, but for people to go out of their way — I’m pretty sure it’s the first time for a lot of people here.”
Isabela Chavez said she came out because she is of Mexican heritage and has a love for immigrants, “I think we all deserve a peaceful place to live and somewhere to have opportunities.”
Damian Mungian said he has family members who are immigrants, but he noted that if you go back far enough in anyone’s family tree, you’ll likely find immigrants at some point.
“It seems weird that we are trying to exclude certain groups of people,” he said. “I think that if we’re all here together, we can always make a movement because that’s how it’s always been, we protest for movement and change.”
Hugo Zamayoa said he is the son of immigrants. He said he went to Monday’s event to protest the recent actions of the president. “This is my land, this is my home and we don’t plan on going anywhere.”
Cervantes said he also wants people to know that they, too, can get involved in issues important to them. “You also have the capacity within yourself to do all of this stuff, do all the actions to build community, because that’s the best way for us to create a better future, it’s with each other.”
Chants of “The people united will never be divided” in Spanish were translated informally for participants who speak only English.
John Solorzano is a case manager from Legacy Alliance Outreach who attended the protest after hearing about it from his boss. “I think it’s a great cause and I agree with it. They are ripping families apart, immigration laws are too harsh,” he said. “They’re not criminals, they’ve never broken the law and they deserve to be here.”
Salvador Vera was born and raised in Modesto, as were his parents. His grandparents immigrated to Modesto from Mexico and were part of the Bracero program, an agreement between Mexico and the United States to allow immigrants to enter during the labor shortage in World War II.
“In Mexico, there was a lot of poverty and violence and they thought that we would appreciate the American dream more than they could because they had to suffer and struggle to get us to the point we are now,” he said.
He said he understood why people would want to get rid of criminals but “It doesn’t stop with just the criminals. You have to understand what they’re doing is dividing families, dividing children, taking mothers, taking fathers from just normal families.” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand that and it’s traumatizing.”
As the protesters walked down J street toward Five Points, cars passing by would honk in solidarity with the crowd, eliciting “woooos.”
Jaime Rangel stepped outside of the Bank of Stockton to hear what all the commotion was about. He’s lived in Modesto for 60 years. “I definitely want the criminals out of here, but they make it too hard for hardworking Mexicans to be able to stay here,” he said.
Maria Mora was standing on J street at Five Points by the Jack In The Box. “I just wish we had a better system all the way across the board,” she said. “We want to do it in a civil way, so that people can hear us and what value we bring to this country.”
Police presence was minimal during the peaceful event, which drew no visible counterprotesters. Two Modesto Police Department units were parked near Five Points, the officers apparently monitoring the action.
Lina Molina had an American flag wrapped around her back. She said she is a product of immigrant parents and is now pursuing a master’s degree in business. “I’ve seen them work their whole life in back-breaking labor,” she said. “I’m out here to support the people that need that support and for law reformation, hopeful immigration reformation.”
Cervantes said it was nice to have people gather, especially at the last minute, “To be able to showcase Modesto to our families and those that we have not connected with, we’re here to stand with you as a community.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM.
