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Cars driving along El Camino Real on Saturday, Feb. 7, honked their horns in support of a crowd of roughly 200 people who gathered ahead of the Super Bowl to protest the actions of federal immigration enforcement officers.
Protesters shouted “ICE out” and held up photos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two Minnesotans killed by federal agents last month. Minneapolis residents have taken to the streets to protest ICE presence in their city, and the Mountain View residents have done the same in solidarity.
“ I’m here to protest lawless ICE and the death of these people and other people they’ve killed, and the grabbing of kids and adults,” Cindy Sidaris said.
Demonstrators on Saturday expressed concern over federal agents’ aggressive response to the Minneapolis protesters.
“I’m worried about the undermining of the fundamental constitutional rights that should not even be in question – deciding that peaceful dissent is terrorism,” Mountain View resident Katherine Preston said. “I’m worried about people’s information being shared across agencies so that people are intimidated when they’re trying to exercise their rights.”
Several residents said they have attended protests their entire lives, starting with the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War. This era, some said, was the worst political climate they have seen.
“Now is a critical time to save our democracy. It’s a dangerous tipping point,” Preston said. “I’m going to exercise my First Amendment rights for myself, for my neighbors, for everybody across this country.”
Some protesters were worried the Trump administration would surge federal immigration agents to Mountain View and the broader Bay Area during the Super Bowl, which will take place Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The NFL officials said earlier this week that they weren’t aware of any plans to send ICE agents to the Super Bowl. However, local cities have put measures in place to protect immigrants regardless. Santa Clara, the Super Bowl’s host city, prohibited federal agents from using city property, like parking lots or open spaces, for immigration enforcement purposes.
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