Central Coast teen to lead march against ICE. Here’s what to know
Most days, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez leaves home at 4 a.m. to scan the streets of Santa Maria for immigration agents who threaten to separate his community.
“It’s really, really scary right now,” he said. “ICE in Santa Maria is very, very quickly becoming more and more aggressive.”
Immigration agents have arrested at least 361 people in Santa Maria since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, according to data collected by the nonprofit organization 805 UndocuFund. The nonprofit monitors cases reported to its Rapid Response Hotline, which people can call at 805-870-8855 to request help if stopped by ICE.
La Cultura Del Mundo, an immigrant advocacy organization founded by Vasquez, will lead a rally and march on Friday to protest escalating ICE activity on the Central Coast and to celebrate the immigrant community.
“Our end goal is just to fight for a world where people can wake up every day and not be terrified,” he said. “Where they can wake up for a day not worrying if they’re going to see their parents.”
The event is called La Marcha de la Puebla: Heroes Not Villains. The rally begins at noon at Santa Maria City Hall at 110 E. Cook St., followed by a march led by youth organizers.
Historically, immigrants and people of color in the United States have been wrongfully portrayed as villains, Vasquez said. He hopes to change that narrative — highlighting that immigrants are the backbone of the Central Coast economy.
“Our goal is to retell the story,” he said. “To rip apart the pages and rebind the books and show the truth. To show that immigrants, my parents, that 30% of the Santa Maria population — they are the heroes, they are the backbone, they are the true builders and the true carriers of the American dream.”
At least 28 cities across the United States will join the movement with their own vigils, rallies and marches on Friday — coordinated by Vasquez’s organization, La Cultura Del Mundo.
Meanwhile, the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party and Indivisible San Luis Obispo County organized bus rides from Atascadero, Los Osos and San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria for those who want to join the march.
Called Freedom Ride 2025, the movement “draws on the legacy of the original Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights era, when activists rode buses across the South to challenge segregation,” a news release from the organizations said.
“Today, that same spirit of courage and solidarity is being revived to stand with immigrant families and youth-led movements fighting for justice,” the release said.
People can register for the Atascadero bus online at bit.ly/46wFnV6 and the Los Osos bus at bit.ly/45fhHCi. Both buses depart at 10:30 a.m. then stop in San Luis Obispo before caravaning to Santa Maria.
“Right now is the time to come together, no matter where you are from, no matter where your blood comes from, you know, really time for people to come together and to fight for hope,” Vasquez said.
He said it’s essential for the fight to support the immigrant community to continue after Friday. He encouraged people to support the 805 Immigrant Rapid Response Hotline and contact their elected officials to demand policy that protects immigrants.
“There has been instances where people don’t want to support me, or the work that me and my team are doing, because we are young,” Vasquez said. “But it is because we are young that people should support us, that they should, you know, donate and come to the rallies that we’re organizing, because we’re the true people being affected, and it’s our future that is at risk.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 12:26 PM.
