Modesto has another march against mass deportations, this time on Crows Landing Road
About 200 people marched in south Modesto against President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations.
The protest on Saturday, Feb. 8, was the city’s second in five days. A somewhat bigger group marched Monday from Tenth Street Place to the Five Points intersection.
Mexican flags flapped in the cool morning air as the second demonstration moved down Crows Landing Road from Hatch Road. Like the first, there were plenty of honks of approval from drivers and little sign of Trump supporters.
“We’re out here to say our communities are strong and our communities are thriving,” Julissa Ruiz Ramirez told a Modesto Bee reporter during a break from leading chants. She is a co-founder of the Central Valley Black, Indigenous and People of Color Coalition.
It organized Saturday’s event along with Valley Improvement Projects, based in Modesto, and the Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County.
Trump has moved quickly to carry out his campaign pledge to send undocumented immigrants back to their homelands. Most of the roughly 11 million people came from Mexico, but the actions also have affected local refugees from Afghanistan and other places.
Saturday’s crowd held signs with messages such as “love thy neighbor” and “ICE melts with resistance,” referring to the border enforcement agency. Another noted that two of Trump’s three wives were immigrants, from eastern Europe.
Ramirez said the marchers would like an immediate end to the ICE raids and long-term reforms that move people toward U.S. citizenship. The latter includes those who were brought to the United States at a young age but have since been productive. Trump aims to end that program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
“People in power are always going to find excuses to keep us down,” Ramirez said.
The march went about a mile and a half to El Rematito, a flea market with space for music, food and more.
This story was originally published February 8, 2025 at 3:15 PM.
