by Edwin Quinabo
ICE’s mass arrest of suspected undocumented migrants at workplaces and sending in the military into Los Angeles proved to be a lightning rod that set off national revolt.
It began in LA’s Fashion District after ICE raided multiple businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants. These raids were typical of others happening in communities across the country. But in Los Angeles, a sanctuary city with about 900,000 undocumented, these raids felt like a direct attack on Los Angelinos. About 1.8 million residents in California are undocumented, according to Pew Research Center.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was “deeply angered” after the raids, elaborating that “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this,” she said in a statement.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA) boasts his state’s immigrant population is linked to their success, “California is the most diverse state in the country, with the most immigrants in the country. We also have the largest economy in the country, the 4th largest of any country in the world. This is not despite our hard-working immigrants – as laborers, as consumers and as innovators – but because of them. They deserve better than to live in fear of being disappeared, detained or deported without due process by the Trump administration.”
The anti-ICE uprising in LA escalated as President Donald Trump mobilized up to 4,000 National Guard service members and activated 700 Marines to join the National Guard troops, a military presence that local officials deem unnecessary. Trump’s order is the first time since 1965 that a president has deployed a state’s National Guard without a request from the state’s governor.
“The number one job of the government is to protect the people. Protect their safety and their property,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who agreed with Trump’s directive. “And if that’s not being done by local and state authorities, then the feds have to step in. I think it’s appropriate.,” he said.
Protests against ICE’s tactics spread like wildfire across other cities with large immigrant populations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. Outcry not only happened in blue metropolises, but in other places like Oxnard, Louisville, Baltimore, Raleigh, Columbus, Dallas, Portland, El Paso, Meridan, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City.
Community leader and Honolulu attorney Sergio Alcubilla stated that Trump’s deployment of federalized National Guard troops in response to protests was unnecessary and inflammatory. “It undermines our core democratic principles that our military will not be politicized.”
Alcubilla, a naturalized citizen originally from the Philippines, says he respects the men and women who serve in ICE, however “the current politicization of the agency to serve an agenda from the far-right Project 2025 blueprint goes against the very ethos of this country as a land of immigrants,” he said. “Instead of focusing on keeping criminal elements out of the country and enforcing immigration laws through our legal system, ICE is being misused to simply fulfill [quota] numbers for political purposes.”
The Trump administration aims to detain 3,000 migrants a day, over one million a year. Just days prior to the LA raids, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller, pressured agents to make more arrests, even directing agents to go to Home Depot where undocumented migrants go to find work. Miller’s directive seems to have led to the immigration sweeps in Los Angeles as ICE agents searched for illegal migrants at a Home Depot on Wilshire Blvd.
Mark, Waipahu, who’ve requested anonymity, said “Trump is doing what people voted for. It looks to be and maybe it is unfair, even cruel, but how else is ICE supposed to deport millions of illegal aliens? If a company hires illegal workers like at a sweatshop in Los Angeles, it makes sense to target that company. You have people protesting on the streets, but you also have many Americans at home thinking Trump is doing a good job on immigration.”
Filipinos on social media like Filipinosinthe6ix reflected a mix of opinions on ICE and mass deportation from condemnation of excessive enforcement to applauding Trump’s ICE crackdowns.
California Filipino leaders
Todd Gloria, San Diego’s first Filipino American mayor, said the raids at popular South Park eateries create fear instead of security. Just one week prior to the LA raids of June 6, heavily armed and masked ICE agents stormed two popular South Park restaurants in San Diego and arrested four suspected undocumented. The incident sparked protests from community members and local officials.
Filipino American Rachelle Arizmendi, former Sierra Madre, CA mayor, expressed fear that these raids are not only happening in big cities but small towns.
Fil-Am Kenneth Mejia, LA City Controller called the raids “cruel” and expressed concern over the strain on city resources and the importance of accountability under sanctuary-city ordinances.
LA councilmember Ysabel Jurado, the first Filipino American elected to the Los Angeles City Council has been an advocate for immigrant rights for years. She is the daughter of undocumented parents. The district she represents covers a large part of where the LA protests and riots have been happening. She said of ICE’s raids, “The footage speaks for itself. This is cruelty disguised as policy.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta who along with Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued Trump for federalizing the National Guard without the governor’s consent. AG Bonta, the highest-ranking public official of Filipino ancestry in California, has spoken out against the ICE raids, calling them “unlawful” and “disrespectful.”
Trump’s approval rating taking a hit on immigration
A Quinnipiac University poll published on June 11, specific to Trump’s handing of immigration, found Trump’s disapproval rating at 54%, up 11%, and an approval rating of 43%. On Trump’s handling of deportations, his disapproval rating climbed by 16% at 56% and approval of 40%. Trump’s overall approval rating dropped to 38%, the lowest percentage of his second of two non-consecutive presidential terms. Trump’s greatest political strength has always been immigration until now.
Plans for a new Executive Order
Politicos say the combination of Trump’s dismal polling and the national protest on ICE is pressuring the president to rethink his immigration agenda. That pressure mounted as Trump announced after the protests during a White House press conference, he plans to make some changes to the ongoing ICE raids. Trump admitted that his administration’s immigration crackdown is causing some serious issues.
“Our farmers are being hurt badly,” he said, pointing out that some undocumented workers have been working in their fields for over 20 years. “They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be great,” he added, signaling an urgent policy shift. He promised a new executive order is coming “pretty soon” to use “common sense” and protect workers in farming and hospitality. “We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back,” he said.
Richard Asuncion, Pearl City, a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Ilocos, Philippines believes what happened in LA is a seminal moment. “The national protests shook Trump. I think he realizes that his mass deportation will be met with community outrage from here on if changes do not happen. His plan to pause ICE raids at farms and hotels is a start. But Americans should not let up in pressuring him until he officially implements that change. Everyone knows how he changes his mind, sometimes by the day.”
A balanced, better approach
Alcubilla stated there is no question that the U.S. national immigration policy needs reimagination. “As previous administrations have shown, improvements that respect and maintain human dignity can be done while still following the rule of law and due process,” he said. Alcubilla cites President Barack Obama’s administration as an example. “Obama removed millions of undocumented immigrants, but it also provided a pathway through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for children that were brought into the country as undocumented immigrants.”
ICE and Filipinos: two well-known cases
The Department of Homeland Security records show there are 350,000 unauthorized Filipino migrants residing in the U.S. as of 2022. The U.S. Census Bureau in the same year registers 4.1 million Filipino Americans in the U.S. Combine the two figures: about 8.5% of Filipinos in the U.S. are undocumented.
While the number of undocumented Filipinos detained or deported by ICE is unknown, there’s increased awareness. There have been two high profile cases involving ICE and Filipinos. In a first case that received national attention, Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old U.S. lawful permanent resident and University of Washington lab technician, was arrested at the Seattle airport after a trip to her native Philippines in late February because of a conviction of a nonviolent offense that happened in 2000. She has been in the U.S. for over 50 years and was set for deportation but was released from ICE custody after three months. A judge ruled she is not deportable.
Outside the detention facility, Dixon thanked a crowd of supporters and spoke about her experience and the conditions in the facility. “It was horrific; it was awful, it is crowded — super crowded, they release maybe nine, bring back seven, release one, they bring three,” she said, according to local NBC affiliate King 5.
A second case did not involve arrest but aroused anger over ICE’s treatment of legal immigrants and their sloppy investigation. On May 6, ICE detained a group of international teachers from the Philippines at their residence in Maui. The international teachers are employed through the U.S. Department of State’s J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program and were legal to teach in the U.S. ICE agents were looking for one individual male who reportedly previously stayed in the house where the teachers lived. That individual was not there but the teachers were detained, had their names run through a check, many of them were only half dressed. One of the teachers said, “The whole situation was really overwhelming and traumatic for all of us.”
Hawaii State Teacher Association President Osa Tui said, “There was no public apology for the harm that was done. As we’ve seen across the country and now here in our communities, our government is not doing their homework and doing sloppy work, which jeopardizes lives and the well-being of those who live here.”
Dr. Arcelita Imasa, Aiea, a dual U.S. and Philippines citizen, condemns the arrest and detention of Aunty Lynn, the recent attacks on the immigrant communities of Los Angeles and the harassment and detention done by ICE to the Filipino J-1 visa teachers. “What ICE is doing is creating fears and violently attacking our migrants. ICE only serves to tear families apart. We must instead call on our State and federal officials to invest in programs that provide crucial legal support when families face detention and deportation. We should also support pathways to legal status and work authorization,” said Dr. Imasa.
Tanggol Migrante Network
One of the immigrant advocacy groups that helped to raise awareness and secure Dixon’s release is the Tanggol Migrante Network. Kami Yamamoto, the Interim Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Workers Center, a part of Tanggol Migrante Network, told the Chronicle that the group was established around the time of the November 2024 presidential election because they anticipated the attack on migrants under a Trump presidency.
“Since then, we have worked with Filipino and non-Filipino migrant advocacy groups to take up the issues of the most vulnerable of our kababayan, those who are without status or in more precarious situations,” she said. “We encourage the Filipino community to reach out to the Tanggol Migrante network if they know of any Filipinos in distress – whether they are victims of wage theft, trafficking, or detained by ICE. We have a network of service providers, attorneys, organizers, and more who can support and help navigate through processes such as obtaining Assistance to Nationals (ATN) from the Philippine government, a service that should be availed of by all Filipino nationals.”
Consul General Arman Talbo of the Philippines Consulate General in Honolulu told the Chronicle that as part of its assistance to nationals (ATN) functions, the Consulate issues consular documents, including travel documents for those who need one to leave Hawaii. “We monitor cases and conduct welfare checks to ensure that the rights and welfare of those in detention are protected and upheld. We also liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs, and coordinate with the families of the affected Filipino national.”
A surprise to some, Yamamoto said what Tanggol has being seeing so far is ICE detaining or harassing Filipinos who are here legally with green cards, J-1 visas. “So, we challenge the idea that it’s only those who are here illegally encountering problems.”
The Consulate General in Honolulu has confirmed there have been incidents of Filipino green card holders deported to the Philippines and that all cases monitored by the Consulate had prior court convictions. The Consulate said it affirms its commitment to extend the necessary assistance to Filipino nationals under its jurisdiction.
What should we do?
The ACLU of Hawai‘i (“ACLU-HI”) submitted letters addressed to all county police chiefs, mayors, and councilmembers asking them to protect Hawaii residents by rejecting any agreements where local personnel and resources would be used for immigration enforcement purposes. Nathan Lee, ACLU-HI Policy Fellow, said “Our public officials and officers should not spend limited resources supporting an immigration agenda that disrespects the due process rights of Hawaii residents and has created a culture of fear and distrust.”
A foreign student living legally in Honolulu in transition of obtaining legal permanent residency, who requested to remain anonymous, believes that the system needs to change to allow for undocumented individuals to safely establish their status without fear of reprisal or persecution, or with great financial and personal risk. “Many undocumented immigrants have established ties in their communities, have no criminal records and pay thousands in taxes every year. The undocumented should be allowed to stay and instead of allocating resources for their violent pursuit, detainment and deportation, the federal government would do well to invest instead into helping them thrive by removing obstacles to obtaining legal status.”
Alcubilla said, “we should be talking about the positive contributions that undocumented immigrants continue to make to this country in the taxes that they pay, the goods and services they consume, and the back-breaking jobs they fulfill.”
“People power is the people’s defense,” Yamamoto said. “As we saw with the detainment of Aunty Lynn, there is immense pressure against stakeholders such as elected officials and public servants when they know that the community is watching and when we assert our rights to due process and government accountability. As migrants to this country, we have a moral responsibility to dispel the negative narrative about Filipinos and other migrants as criminals. We know personally through our own experiences that immigrants come to the U.S. to seek better opportunities for themselves and their families.”
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