By Miriam Raftery

Photos and videos by Shiloh Ireland

“It’s my duty...to speak up for other people that currently are scared... I know what it feels like to be undocumented and having to be living in the shadows for fear of being deported.” – Carlos Gomez Perez, an Iraq War combat veteran who earned a Silver Star medal of valor.

July 3, 2025 (El Cajon) – As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids ramp up nationwide, detaining and deporting even many immigrants who committed no crimes, an “ICE out of El Cajon” march and rally on June 28  called for support of immigrants.

Concerns over non-criminals detained and abuse of detainees

Trump ran on a platform of deporting “violent criminals” who are undocumented. But KPBS reports that since Donald Trump took office in January, the number of detained immigrants who have no criminal records has skyrocketed by 12,000%--from 800 to over 11,700.  By contrast, detentions of convicted criminals in ICE detention rose only 59%, from 9,000 in January to 14,500 in June.