Dozens rally against immigration enforcement at Indio CBP office
Athena Jreij
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — Calls for change erupted outside the Indio Customs and Border Protection office Friday as protesters denounced what they call discriminatory immigration policies.
“ICE and Border Patrol are kidnaping innocent community members in broad daylight, in fields, and in the streets and even in churches,” Balthazar Aguirre Jr. with the United Farmworker Foundation said.
It comes as President Trump’s mass deportation plans unfold in the Coachella Valley, with several operations touching down in Cathedral City, Thermal and Mecca.
While the administration has said officers are only going after criminals, protesters disagree.
“Don’t forget that when all of this started or before it started, they said that violent criminals were going to be taken off of our streets, MS-13 gang members. There are no MS-13 gang members out there farming our strawberries right now,” Christine Massey, a local participant, said.
According to recent data, since May, just 30% of those arrested have criminal convictions while 44% have no criminal history at all.
Some local operations like weed farm raid in the East Valley have targeted criminal enterprises, but for many, it feels like an attack on their community and anyone who looks like them.
“I’m a Mexican, I’m Hawaiian, and I’m all the brown stuff. I’m gay. I’m everything that they hate and so I have to be that voice,” William Acasil said.
As fear runs deep in local communities, UFW and ICUC have launched a new toll-free hotline providing bilingual legal services. However, even they admit their resources have limits.
“Each case is different. There was a Palm Desert couple who were gardeners and one of them was sent to Sudan, I believe, and, the wife was sent somewhere else. In those cases, I mean, it’s difficult to try to help them in that case,” Aguirre said.
For those in custody now, protesters hope they’ll hear their message of solidarity.
“We see you. We stand with you, and we won’t give up until these policies change,” said Massey.
For more information on the UFW’s toll-free hotline, head to https://kesq.com/news/2025/07/17/toll-free-hotline-launches-in-coachella-valley-to-support-migrant-communities/.
The number to reach the hotline is 1-888-295-4282 with hours set to operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.