[Updated] ICE Presence in Pasadena Sparks Community Outrage

Peaceful protest outside AC Hotel in Pasadena (Photo – Colorado Boulevard Newspaper)

Community tension rose sharply on Sunday, June 8, following confirmation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are staying at three hotels in Pasadena: the Westin, the Hotel Dena, and the city’s newest hotel, the AC Hotel, located in the Playhouse District.

By Cheryl Auger

Outrage erupted after reports surfaced that Pasadena hotels were hosting ICE agents and the anger became greater once demonstrator’s learned that ICE demanded documentation from hotel staff upon their arrival to work, actions many have described as reminiscent of tactics used in authoritarian regimes. Local leaders and community members quickly mobilized to protest the agency’s presence.

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, who represents Senate District 25, arrived on-site to show solidarity and called for fair and humane treatment of all community members, including immigrants. “The goal here is for them to create chaos and terrorize people,” she stated several times to reporters and the crowd gathered outside the AC Hotel.

Pasadena City Councilmember Rick Cole also joined the demonstration, urging the crowd to remain peaceful as they expressed their opposition. “We must show our strength through unity and nonviolence,” he said.

Religious leaders lent their voices as well. Pastor Amy Aitken of the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena called on ICE agents to “put down their weapons and find new jobs,” appealing to their sense of humanity.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, himself an immigrant, shared personal reflections on the fear immigrant communities experience. “I know what it feels like to be afraid,” Gordo said. “I will do everything I can to protect the people of our city and get ICE out of Pasadena.”

ICE officials left the city early in the evening after concerns about enforcement in a city known for its cultural diversity and history of community activism.

(L-R) Senator Sasha Renée Pérez talking to the media and Mayor Victor Gordo speaking to the crowd (Photos – Cheryl Auger)

Peaceful protest at AC Hotel (Photo – Colorado Boulevard Newspaper)

[This article has been updated to include the time when ICE left the city]