About 300 protesters gathered in Downtown on Thursday to show solidarity with undocumented immigrants affected by recent ICE raids.
The demonstration, which began at noon near the Mission Inn, remained peaceful for more than three hours as participants marched along sidewalks opposing the Trump administration's renewed deportation efforts.
Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina joined protesters, drawing on his experience as both the son of an immigrant and a former teacher.
"I am here to say stop the raids," Medina told ABC7. "These are our neighbors. These are the students that I taught. Let's stop the raids, and then we will stop the chaos that we've seen in the last week."
The personal connection to immigration issues ran deep for many participants. One demonstrator told Juarez, "Most of my family are immigrants, and they don't have rights. We have the voices and the papers to speak as they cannot."
Riverside Police maintained a visible presence throughout the demonstration. Officers reported no major incidents despite identifying several individuals they described as attempting to provoke the crowd.
Rally organizers announced plans to return Friday for a "No Kings" protest.
The demonstration in Riverside mirrored similar protests occurring across California as communities respond to heightened immigration enforcement actions that protesters say are separating families.
