On Friday, heavily armed and masked ICE and Border Patrol agents stormed Cathedral City neighborhoods in a coordinated federal raid. Residents watched in horror as anonymous agents in military-style gear chased and arrested a man, dragging him away while refusing to identify themselves or explain their presence. At the same time, agents descended on businesses in Los Angeles, where SEIU California President David Huerta was injured and arrested. He has since been released.
Joy Silver, Chair of the Riverside County Democratic Party, issued the following statement:
“Let’s be clear, these raids weren’t about public safety. They were designed to terrorize. The goal is to make people afraid to leave their homes, go to work, or take their kids to school. Today they’re targeting immigrants. If we don’t stop this, who’s next? We didn’t fight a revolution so masked federal agents could roam our neighborhoods in riot gear.”
Silver emphasized that the Riverside County Democratic Party stands with affected families and all communities under threat.
In response to the increased militarization of immigration enforcement, California Democrats have introduced legislation to block ICE access to schools, hospitals, libraries, and shelters — spaces meant to be safe. Lawmakers are also pushing bills to expand legal defense funds, increase data privacy protections, and enforce California’s sanctuary laws, which prohibit local collaboration with federal immigration enforcement.
“We have the laws. We need the will to enforce them,” Silver said. “No local agency should ever assist in or remain silent about actions like this. And no Californian should live in fear of masked men with machine guns showing up at their door.”