US Army Desert Storm veteran leads Fil-Am rally in Los Angeles

US Army Desert Storm veteran Joe Arciaga (with megaphone) speaks at the ‘No Kings Day of Defiance’ demonstration in Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles. Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

LOS ANGELES – A US Army Desert Storm veteran led a group of Filipino Americans protesting the immigration policies of the Trump administration as part of the nationwide “No Kings Day of Defiance” demonstrations on Saturday.

“I am proud to join the fight for future generations – for a nation where we uphold democracy, protect civil rights and preserve the rule of law,” said Desert Storm veteran Joe Arciaga, co-chair of Filipino American LAKAS Collective, during the rally in Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles.

Joe Arciaga (left) leads the ‘No Kings’ rally in Historic Filipinotown in LA. | Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

“Today, we gather for a peaceful assembly. Today, we march. Today, we proudly proclaim, there are no kings in America.”

Also joining the rally were members and supporters of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), which has been providing assistance to undocumented Filipinos.

“We stand in unwavering solidarity with immigrants, their families and the peaceful protesters facing aggression from ICE and federal militarized forces,” said PWC Executive Director Aquilina Soriano Versoza.

Versoza said immigrant communities are “enduring a new wave of fear and intimidation.”

“ICE arrests have resumed with force, even after legal dismissals, targeting everyday people at their homes, workplaces, schools and neighborhoods,” she said.

| Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

One of those detained during the recent raids was 55-year-old Filipino national Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez. He was one of the detainees identified by the Homeland Security Department following the raids that sparked massive protests.

Versoza said the raids are often carried out without proper warrants or due process and are “targeting workers, parents and communities of color.”

| Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

“These enforcement actions are not only heartbreaking – they are a blatant violation of constitutional and human rights,” she said. “They are an attack on the very fabric of our communities.”

PWC is an active member of the Rapid Response Networks and the Immigrants Are Los Angeles coalition, groups that have been identifying ICE enforcement actions and connecting those impacted with  legal and community support.

| Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

One of the protesters held up a placard saying, “Filipinos have ousted a fascist. Let’s do it again. People Power!” referring to the 1986 peaceful revolt that toppled the regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Arciaga said that when he enlisted in the US Army, he took an oath to uphold the US Constitution and “to help protect the nation from enemies without and within.”

“Today, I would never swear allegiance or bend the knee to a wannabe king,” he said.

| Photo from Joe Arciaga/Facebook

“I am proud to stand with all of you today as we exercise our First Amendment rights. I am a father of three as well as a grandfather of three. I am proud to join the fight for future generations – for a nation where we uphold democracy, protect civil rights, and preserve the rule of law.”

Although the “No Kings Day of Defiance” protests were planned as a counterpoint to Saturday’s military parade in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles gatherings were focused largely on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, in light of the week-long and frequently violent protests that took place here after federal immigration enforcement raids on June 6.

In front of City Hall, protesters gathered Saturday morning for a march at 10:30 a.m.

“I think it’s important for us to make sure our voices are heard and the more voices in unison, the harder it is for fascism to take over,” said Cris Graves, who described herself as a local activist who worked with the Border Patrol in 2016.

“Community and care and radical joy is how we get through this, because if they can’t take those away from us, then fascism can’t grab its claws into our country.”

Graves said she worked on the border and had been embedded with border patrol units in 2016, witnessing how immigrants were “fleeing unbelievable things.”

“That’s what America’s about. It’s a nation built on immigrants. So, I don’t even recognize my country half the time today, she said.

Demonstrators crowded into streets, parks and plazas across the nation, marching through downtowns to show support for protecting democracy and immigrant rights.

Rally organizers said millions had marched in hundreds of “No Kings” events in major cities, including New York, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

Trump and US Homeland Security officials have defended the immigration raids. The president won the election in 2016 and 2024 on a platform of securing the southern border and deporting those in the United States illegally.