Emeryville protesters pressure Target, Home Depot to challenge ICE

EMERYVILLE, Calif. - Hundreds of demonstrators marched Tuesday evening in Emeryville to call on major retailers not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

What they're saying:

Organizers and community members, including indigenous groups, rallied against federal immigration enforcement, chanting "Hey, hey, ho, ho, ICE has got to go" as they marched through the city. Protesters urged companies such as Target and Home Depot to join their call for Congress to halt funding for ICE.

"We’re here to support and pray for the people of Minnesota and what’s going on in the world today," one speaker told the crowd. "It saddens our heart to see that happen to all those people, people who are out there trying to help," the speaker said.

The group described the demonstration as part of a coordinated national effort in response to the deadly shootings involving ICE agents in Minneapolis. Organizers criticized what they describe as increased immigration enforcement tactics and called for broader corporate and legislative action.

The march was organized by a coalition of community organizations, including CURY J, Bay Resistance, Nuevo Sol Day Labor & Domestic Worker Center, Anti Police Terror Project, ACCE, Critical Response, Oil and Gas Action Network, Caminant Cultural Foundation, Alameda Labor Council, Oakland Rising, Young Women'sFreedom Center, Arab Organizingand Resource Center, EBASE, Gressroots Global Justice Alliance, Love not Blood Campaign and All of usor None.

The other side:

Both Target and Home Depot issued statements saying they are not involved in any immigration enforcement operations.

Immigration raids have taken place outside a number of Home Depot stores across the country, and organizers said that Target — headquartered in Minneapolis — has scaled back diversity efforts since President Donald Trump’s re-election.