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Bystanders reported the 8 a.m. arrest as disturbing and chaotic.
Monday’s rally, organized by immigrant-rights advocates and supported by local clergy and community leaders, was both peaceful and passionate.
Vargas’s two sons, Bayardo and Alejandro, stood before the crowd, visibly shaken.
“My mom didn’t do anything wrong,” said Bayardo, 20, his voice trembling. “She’s a hard-working single mother who works tirelessly to make a better future for our family.”
NDLON founder Pablo Alvarado called the arrest “theater designed to humiliate and dehumanize” communities.
“We’ve been abandoned by Washington, by the courts, by the business community who want our labor but not our humanity,” he said. “But we still have something powerful—our voices, our music, our dignity.
The demonstration highlighted growing concerns about immigration enforcement in Pasadena. Some protesters suggested the enforcement actions might be retaliation for the city’s consistent opposition to ICE raids.
A neighborhood support network has been established for the Vargas children, with local immigration attorneys offering pro bono assistance. A GoFundMe page, “Bring Rosalina back to her Children,” has been created to help the family with household expenses.
“This is not just about Rosalina,” Alvarado warned. “This is about a nation deciding what kind of people we want to be. And if cruelty is the point—they’re going to have to go through a lot of love and a lot of resistance to get there.”
The protest concluded peacefully, with organizers leading the crowd in a Spanish-language version of “This Land Is Your Land,” saying that dignity, family, and freedom are not conditional on documentation.
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