SANTA CLARA, California — They came, they marched, they chanted − all under a close watch. But it wasn't ICE agents who patrolled the streets on Super Bowl Sunday, as many had anticipated.
Hundreds of people on Feb. 8 took over a main thoroughfare less than two miles away from Levi's Stadium, site ofSuper Bowl 60between theSeattle Seahawksand theNew England Patriots, just before kickoff, railing againstPresident Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts usingImmigration and Customs Enforcementand Border Patrol.
Their voices got louder, echoing off nearby buildings while they chanted "no ICE, no KKK, no racist USA," "dare to struggle, dare to win," and "it's our right to resist, it's our right to rebel."
The protest capped a weeklong slew ofrallies, marches and demonstrationsin the area, all culminating in the biggest turnout on game day.
"We deserve to be seen and heard," said Lyla Salinas, 22, an organizer with CSO San Jose, one of the protest's nearly two-dozen sponsors. "We need to show our presence on one of the world's biggest stages."
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Even though law enforcement officials confirmed last week there would be no ICE enforcement at any Super Bowl 60 event, authorities on foot, on bikes and on horseback watched intently as they followed the protesters down Great America Parkway. No arrests were made during the almost two-hour event, Santa Clara police said.
Also watching was California Democratic CongressmanRo Khanna, who spoke and walked with several protesters and told USA TODAY that ICE was not present in the area.
"Our staff has received multiple updates throughout the day. We need to make sure they don't come during the World Cup as well," Khanna said, noting several international soccer matches will take place in his Silicon Valley district in June.
Salinas used the opportunity to tell Khanna that he and his organization have tried many times to reach out to the lawmaker, seeking his involvement, and to ask him not to support funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Khanna told Salinas he remains a firm "no" on voting for additional Homeland Security funding, as DHS funding was extended until Feb. 13, creating a deadline for Congress to negotiate further. Khanna told Salinas they would keep in touch.
"I told him he needed to be more supportive of what we're doing, that we're showing our communities we're here to defend them," said Salinas about putting pressure on Khanna. "He said he would help us, but actions speak louder than words."
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Turnout was a surprise
Holding a sign that said, "No Secret Police," Doug Wolf, 60, of Boulder Creek, California, said he was pleasantly surprised by the protest's turnout.
"We shouldn't have to be here, but you gotta be out here," said Wolf, amid the chanting. "The Constitution and the Fourth Amendment are being shredded right in front of us. We have to take a stand."
Ariel Ranker, a member of the nonprofit 50501 San Jose, agreed.
"If we don't stand up and fight back, we may not have a democratic society anymore. This is unacceptable, especially if we still want to call ourselves a democratic nation," Ranker, 25, said in between chanting with her bullhorn. "This is not the country I grew up in."
Rankin got fired up when listening to a call-and-response chant by Kimberly Woo, an organizer withServices, Immigrant Rights and Education Network(SIREN) of Santa Clara County, who said they have the "home-field advantage" over ICE.
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"No hate, no fear," Woo yelled. "Immigrants are welcomed here!"
Hours before the protest, several activists gave about 15,000 towels with the words "ICE OUT" to fans attending the Super Bowl, hoping they would raise them throughout the game and duringBad Bunny's halftime performance, to protest the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations.
The gesture, called "Flags in the Stands," was organized by Contra-ICE, a coalition of artists, musicians, and community organizers.
Drawn by political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, the design was inspired by Bad Bunny, and shows a rabbit wearing the singer's signature pava (straw hat), while holding a grenade in one hand (a nod to local rockers Green Day, who opened the game and their multiplatinum album American Idiot). The rabbit kicks a football that's in a frozen block of ice.
One volunteer, Dan Reynolds, said he passed out more than 600 towels to fans. A handful of people politely gave them back to him.
"That's not a bad percentage," Reynolds said as he ran out of his supply. "We hope they get put to good use."
Seahawks fan Mikki Ellingsen, 59, of Seattle, said she wished she grabbed more.
"Absolutely," Ellingsen said, waving the towel. "Proud to do it."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'No hate, no fear' ICE protesters chant near Super Bowl
