Under a cloudy grey sky, thousands of people marched through San Francisco’s Mission District on Monday evening, protesting a recent surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests across California and the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration.
Monday’s march capped a day of citywide actions, as community members denounced newly reinstated travel bans, the arrest of labor leader David Huerta, and looming Medicaid cuts during two earlier, smaller demonstrations downtown.
By 6:00 p.m., demonstrators had filled both 24th Street BART plazas, spilling into the intersection at Mission and 24th streets. Kicking off the evening, local leaders urged the crowd to keep San Francisco a sanctuary city where “ICE is not welcome.”
“When laws criminalize people exercising their constitutional rights, it is our duty to resist them,” said District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder. “When the government turns on its own people, it’s up to the people to remind the government who it works for. No human being is illegal, no family is disposable. We will not back down—we will only get louder.”
Fielder also referenced recent protests in Los Angeles, where thousands have rallied over the past three days in response to sweeping ICE raids. Clashes with police and scattered acts of vandalism have led to hundreds of arrests, prompting the federal government to deploy National Guard troops and Marines—an escalation denounced by political leaders across California. On Sunday, during a solidarity protest in San Francisco, more than 150 people were arrested after police clashed with demonstrators.
Throughout the day, city officials appeared to brace for a repeat of the previous night’s unrest. Hours before the march, Mayor Daniel Lurie posted on Instagram, reaffirming San Francisco’s sanctuary city status and supporting the right to protest peacefully—while drawing a firm line against violence and vandalism.
Around midday, police removed the mobile command van that had been stationed at 16th and Mission streets for months, according to a food vendor in the plaza. By the time marchers passed through, the area had been cleared. At the rally, organizers emphasized that the protest was not meant as a flashpoint, but as a call to collective action.
Despite those concerns, Monday evening’s protest remained largely peaceful. Families, young people, and longtime community activists marched side by side, waving Latin American flags and holding signs denouncing deportations. A woman burned ceremonial sage. As the crowd moved through the neighborhood, a few masked individuals tagged walls and bus stops with graffiti like “Fuck ICE,” but were largely ignored.
As the march moved up Mission Street, restaurant workers stepped outside to watch, some filming the demonstration on their phones. Families waved Mexican flags from their balconies, cheering on the protesters.
Near 21st and Mission, Elías, 52, stood outside a bar with two friends, tearing up as he reflected on the moment.
“It makes me so happy to see everyone who showed up to march,” he said. “Not all of us can. If we got arrested, we’d be deported to Mexico.”
The march continued from 16th and Mission, turning onto Valencia Street, where demonstrators encountered a heavier police presence and barricades. Although a few individuals grew hostile, tensions did not escalate. Protesters kept walking south, eventually looping back to 24th Street. As dusk fell, they banged drums, chanted, and urged each other to keep fighting.
“We came here for our families,” said Lluvia Román, who attended the protest with her young daughter Isabella and their small puppy, nestled in a bag. “Your status doesn’t really matter anymore. Anyone can come and take you. There’s a lot of hatred against our community, and we’re all vulnerable.”
Most people began dispersing as the night wore on, but a smaller group splintered off and headed toward Civic Center. Along the way, some participants smashed windows on Market Street, leading to dozens of arrests. Mayor Lurie addressed the vandalism in a late-night post, while also acknowledging the largely calm tone of the earlier rally.
