ICE (and federal government) War on California and on Immigrants
Image credit: Screenshot from Status Coup reporting in Los Angeles, CA. Courtesy of Status Coup. https://youtu.be/W8RpbjBfmPU?si=dtrruYg_zVR4y-Vb
This weekend, Donald Trump federalized the California National Guard—a chilling move that crosses the line from authoritarian rhetoric into open occupation.
Let’s not mince words: California has long been a target of this regime—not simply because of policy disagreements, but because it is home to communities who have fought back. From its climate legislation to its sanctuary policies, it has challenged the federal government at times. But we must not erase the complex truths: California is also a place where Black parents have been jailed for their children’s truancy, where gig workers have been exploited, where slavery was never fully dismantled, and where ICE has long operated with impunity.
This isn’t about California being perfect. It’s about people—immigrants, organizers, families—refusing to be crushed by illegal ICE actions and state-sanctioned violence. The final straw was community members physically and publicly resisting ICE raids, placing their bodies between agents and their neighbors. That’s what made Trump declare war.
“This is beginning to feel like the return of paramilitary tactics many of us fled from in Latin America,” said Lily Benavides, a community organizer and Green Party council member. “We are seeing helicopters overhead at school graduations, ICE storming public spaces, and children thrown into panic. We are seeing people detained long after agreeing to leave, just to fill private prison quotas. This is not immigration enforcement—it is racialized terror for profit.”
Across the country, including right here in New Jersey, we are watching as ICE sets up traps at immigration offices, detains people without cause, and partners with local police to harass entire communities. People are being kidnapped off the street, in front of their homes, even from their jobs.
This is punishment for resistance. It is retribution against solidarity. And it is an undeniable test balloon for deeper military repression against any state or city that dares to protect its own.
“This is not just a fight against Donald Trump and the Republicans,” said Madelyn Hoffman, former Green Party candidate for New Jersey governor in 1997 and 2021 and current Policy Committee Chair of the Green Party of New Jersey. “It is also a fight against Democrats and what often passes for their empty rhetoric, allowing for continued existence and expansion of ICE detention centers, instead of shutting it all down as demanded by many, both in New Jersey and around the country, over many years. We call upon all people who value the lives and the social contributions of the immigrant community to resist this ever-growing evidence of fascism in the U.S. and ever-increasing actions to arrest, deport and wage war against black and brown people.”
To every National Guard member now caught in this, you have a choice: You swore an oath to defend the Constitution – not to become pawns in a fascist crackdown. Refusal is not betrayal. It is courage.
To every elected official still silent: your inaction is complicity.
To the people: organize like your state could be next. Because it could.
To our immigrant neighbors: Stay connected with local organizations. Know your rights. Watch out for one another.
We urge state and local leaders throughout New Jersey to act swiftly to safeguard our communities by:
- Passing the Immigrant Trust Act (S3672)
- Reinforcing the prohibition of the 287(g) program, which allows local police to collaborate with ICE
- Continuing to provide free legal assistance to those detained.
At the end of the day, we only have each other—and that has always been enough to fight back.
This is not just California’s fight. It’s ours.
We stand with California’s communities—not as a flawless state,
but as a battleground where people are choosing each other over fear.
We stand ready to resist—together.
