A large number of protesters gathered outside Disneyland’s Grand California hotel and spa Friday afternoon after local officials ruminated about a possible holiday visit from Vice President J.D. Vance.
Orange County officials received Inter for VP’s visit to the area on Thursday. In an interview with KTLA 5, director Vicente Sarmiento said the VP’s visit “comes when trust in the government feels vulnerable.”
“We welcome policymakers who visit, hear and witness the hardworking immigrant communities that will strengthen our county,” Salmiento, who represents the county’s second district, told a post on social media. “I respect the office, but I can’t respect policies that hurt our people.”
At Disney’s Grand California Hotel, Vice President JD Vance is believed to be with his family.
(onscene.tv)
The Salmiento district includes the city of Santa Ana, where immigrant communities have been hit by ice raids since June. His jurisdiction spans parts of Anaheim, Garden Gloves, Orange and Tustin. This also suffers from what some immigrant advocates call “racial profiling” targeting Latino people.
“There is a great contrast between the work we do on earth and the support of families with food, resources and hope, and the administration that feels a policy designed to crush the very communities we serve,” Sarmiento added.
Local Santa Ana newspaper Santanero reported that Air Force 2 had landed at John Wayne Airport on Friday shortly after 5pm. Following his latest visit to California, it was not immediately confirmed whether Vance was on an official business aircraft when attending a conservative $2,500 event at a high-end sushi restaurant in San Diego.
Neither the weekend schedule nor the fundraising event were posted by the Vice President’s office. Online footage has begun to distribute the C-17 motorcade into Disneyland Park in Anaheim.
Crowds began to form near the park at 5:30pm on Harbour Boulevard and Caterra Avenue on Friday. Some individuals drove up to four hours in protest, where many were waving flags of Mexico and California, carrying handmade posters.
“I’ll say that [Vance] One protester told Fox11. “We don’t want him here,” he said.
The Anaheim Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment as of Saturday, but online footage showed the police presence in Friday’s protest. No injuries or arrests have been reported.
YouTuber Matt Desmond posted a short video on his channel, Disneyscoopguy and Vance’s Saturday morning, two children from Disneyland walking through the park on a Bayou Adventure in Tiana.
This video shows security guards roaming the park with an explosive detective dog. According to City News Service, it was not clear whether the agents were coming from the Secret Service.
Disney officials declined to comment on individual plans with respect to all guests.
