South Bay protesters gather against Venezuela actions, ICE killing in Minneapolis

Hundreds of South Bay protesters took to the streets Saturday to show their disdain toward President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela and the killing of a Minnesota woman by a federal agent earlier this week.

Rallies began Saturday morning in Los Gatos and Mountain View, with more planned later into the day in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, San Jose, Richmond and San Francisco. Many were organized by a coalition of groups including May Day Strong, Indivisible and others.

In a statement, May Day Strong called for unity against U.S. occupation of Venezuela and the removal of “reckless untrained ICE agents from our communities.” They argued overseas wars and increased immigration enforcement enriched billionaires at a human cost, and that tax money should be used for “good jobs, better schools, access to health care and (getting) our basic needs met.”

At Los Gatos, David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” blared to around 100 people.

George Hoffman, a 49-year-old Los Gatos resident, said he’s been protesting regularly at the city’s Tesla dealership since April 2025, in an effort to push back against Elon Musk’s support of Trump.

Hoffman said he started attending protests because he was tired of keeping quiet on the Trump administration’s actions and “feeling like everything was broken.”

“It was killing me,” he said. “I was in a hole of despair and loneliness.”

One week ago, a U.S. strike in Venezuela killed about 80 people and ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who are now in New York City awaiting trial on federal drug charges. Trump and others in his administration have said the U.S. would “run” the country, taking millions of barrels of oil with the blessing of the South American nation’s acting leadership.

Many within the U.S. and internationally criticized the attack as a flagrant violation of international law that ignores Venezuela’s sovereignty. However, Venezuelan expatriates in Florida and elsewhere were supportive of Maduro’s removal after years of reported human rights violations and economic troubles in the country.

On Wednesday, a Minnesota woman named Renee Good was fatally shot by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, a killing caught on video that quickly sparked outrage and, from the Trump administration, unsupported claims that Good was a “domestic terrorist.” A day later, two people were wounded in Portland, Oregon, when federal immigration officers shot them in their car outside of a hospital. Both of the shootings inspired vigils and demonstrations against crackdowns authorized by Trump.

Hoffman said Good’s death was another example of the Trump administration lying to people about what has been happening in the nation.

“We need to stop seeing this as a single issue,” Hoffman said. “It’s all the same fight.”

This is a developing report. Check back for updates.