Rally crowds begin gathering for International Women's Day events

"Hundreds of protesters gathered near Oakland's Lake Merritt with signs reading No one is illegal on stolen land and U.S. out of everywhere in preparation for a march. The gatherings came in the wake of the United States and Israel launching a joint war against Iran at the end of last month, bombing several sites and killing high-ranking officials in the country's government, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."

"Other issues on the minds of protesters include the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, which has sparked protests of its own across the region in recent weeks, including student walkouts. Protesters gathered outside Elmwood Jail in Milpitas Wednesday to push back against Immigration and Customs Enforcement's strategy of picking up people as they are released from jail."

"The deportation of a deaf child to Colombia alongside his mother and brother was decried last week after attorneys for the family said that they had been under asylum protection and were detained during a routine check-in appointment."

Bay Area residents organized multiple rallies on International Women's Day across cities including San Jose and Oakland to advocate for immigrant women's rights. Hundreds gathered at Lake Merritt with signs opposing deportation and U.S. military intervention. The protests responded to several concurrent issues: the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and deportation enforcement, recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran that killed high-ranking officials including Supreme Leader Khamenei, and ongoing Iranian counterattacks on U.S. military infrastructure. The local Iranian community experienced mixed reactions to the conflict. Additional concerns included ICE's practice of apprehending individuals upon jail release and the controversial deportation of a deaf child to Colombia despite the family's asylum protection status.

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