In San José, multiple community groups hosted numerous workshops, town halls and protests to voice their concerns and outrage for President Donald J. Trump’s policies and plans for his second term.
On inauguration day, multiple community groups protested at the corner of Westfield Valley Fair mall on Stevens Creek Boulevard to show their support against Trump and his policy plans.
Ethan Maruyama, a third-year pre-nursing student from San José State, said he decided to join the protest because Trump was sworn back into office.
“(Trump) has an agenda that is very anti-immigrant, and he's frankly a fascist, and we are here to kind of fight back against his agenda and take our democracy back,” Maruyama said.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance were sworn into office on Martin Luther King Jr. Day inside the Capitol Rotunda, according to a Monday article from AP News.
Within the first 72 hours of the 47th president’s second term in office, Trump has signed over 67 executive orders, according to a webpage from the White House.
Climate Policies
Among the president’s numerous executive orders, Trump removed the U.S. from the Paris Agreement a second time and declared a state of emergency to boost the country’s production of oil and gas, according to a Monday article from USA Today.
“I will also declare a National Energy emergency. We will ‘Drill baby drill,’ ” Trump said during his inauguration speech. “America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have, the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth, and we are going to use it.”
Trump said during his speech
that signing this executive order will help decrease gas prices and refill the country’s treasury reserves.
Max Hsiu, a San José resident who voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and a counter protester on Monday, said he supports Trump’s action to increase oil production.
“I mean, look, I’m not here to talk about things that's going to save the world or reduce the effects and all that, but all I know is drilling is going to have an important factor in having reserves for our military,” Hsiu said. “You know it will have an impact on global warming, but hey, that's just part of the price to protect our country.”
Trump also said he plans to end the Green New Deal and has already signed an executive order to end a Environmental Protection Agency rule that he describes as an “electric vehicle mandate,” according to a Monday article from USA Today.
This rule requires auto manufacturers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by light to medium duty vehicles by 2027, according to the same article.
Immigration
Trump signed multiple executive orders to roll back multiple diversity equity and inclusion policies and to reverse policies that protect rights for immigrants, according to the White House’s webpage.
This includes declaring a national state of emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and ending birthright citizenship, according to a Wednesday article from NBC 5 Chicago.
Trump plans to send more U.S. troops to support immigration agents while restricting refugees from entering into the country to seek asylum, according to the same article.
The president’s executive order to end birthright citizenship will possibly take away citizenship status away from children born from parents who are undocumented or from children who have one parent with a temporary visa, according to a Tuesday article from
TIME Magazine.
This includes parents with work or study abroad visas and tourism visas, according to the same article.
If the president’s executive order to end birthright citizenship passes through the courts, the policy could come into effect starting on February 19.
The Department of Homeland Security also announced on Tuesday that it was ending a policy that restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting undocumented people from houses of worship, schools and hospitals, according to a Tuesday article from NBC News.
“(The U.S.) fails to protect our magnificent law-abiding American citizens, but provide sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world,” Trump said during his speech. “We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders, or, more importantly, its own people.”
Six days before Trump’s inauguration, the City of San José unanimously passed a memorandum that emphasizes that San José is a sanctuary city and will add more funding for the city’s Rapid Response Network, according to the city’s meeting minutes from Jan. 15.
The document supported by councilmembers Peter Ortiz, David Cohen, Domingo Candelas and Pamela Campos requests the city to reaffirm its commitment to preserving safety and dignity for all residents regardless of their national origin or legal status, according to the memorandum.
It also directs the city manager to allocate additional funds to provide legal assistance and other support services for those who risk legal consequences because of their immigration status, according to the same source.
This includes outlining additional funds for the Rapid Response Network, a
community defense project, according to the document.
The Rapid Response Network protects immigrant families from deportation threats and provides additional resources during and after a community member has been arrested or detained, according to a webpage from Amigos de Guadalupe.
Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents District 5 in East San José, said he is hoping the city will be able to allocate between $5 to $10 million dollars to pay for additional staff members and to pay for more legal services.
Ortiz said he and other councilmembers decided to write the memorandum after news outlets announced that there have been ICE raids in the Central Valley.
In Bakersfield, border patrol agents conducted a four-day “targeted enforcement” operation on Jan. 7 to detain undocumented immigrants with criminal records, according to a Wednesday article from The LA Times.
Border patrol detained 78 individuals for crimes related to drug trafficking, burglary and child abuse, according to the same article.
“I reached out to my council colleagues and I said, ‘Look, we need to introduce a policy to communicate to our community where our city values stand, and that's with and in support of our undocumented community,’ ” Ortiz said. “We know that if the undocumented community goes back into the shadows, if they stop showing up to work, if they stop going to school, K-12 education, our local economy and education systems will be dismantled.”
Trans Rights
Four of Trump’s executive orders could possibly remove legal protections for transgender individuals, according to the same webpage from the White House.
Robin Jean McMahon, a sixth-year history student from SJSU, said in an interview before Trump’s inauguration that it is very frustrating to see the president’s
administration continue to target the trans community.
McMahon said a common narrative is that the community’s attempts to self-organize and to protect themselves are falsely recharacterized as attempts to fight Trump.
“The narrative around trans mobilization towards security, an attempt for trans people to be able to live safely is that we are fighting Trump right, that we win when Trump is gone,” McMahon said. “We don't win when Trump is gone. We just don't lose when Trump is gone.”
Trump signed these executive orders a week after the House of Representatives passed a bill banning transgender students from playing in women’s sports, according to a Jan. 14 CBS article.
The House of Representatives states that a person’s sex will only be recognized based solely on the individuals’ reproductive biology and genetics at birth, according to the bill.
“It will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” Trump said during his speech.
McMahon said from her perspective, the goal is not to just fight him, but the community’s main priority for transgender individuals to be able to live safely in society.
She said Trump is an incidental, but dangerous roadblock to this goal because he and others outside the trans community cast out transgender individuals from society to form an enemy they can fight to continue perpetuating their own power.
“My goal is not to beat Trump. My goal is to have the people in my community and people in all kinds of communities to have flourishing, happy, productive, healthy lives,” McMahon said.
ALINA TA | SPARTAN DAILY
A protester holds up a cartoon of Trump with a sign that reads in Spanish, “El Gringo” while the crowd of protesters marches th rough Santana Row on Monday.
Tully ushers in Year of the Snake
By Saturn Williams A&E & OPINION EDITOR
The Tully Community Branch Library slithered into the Lunar New Year season with its holiday festival on Friday as patrons celebrated the Year of the Snake alongside the library’s 20th anniversary.
The library opened for the Tully community on Jan. 22, 2005, according to the San José Public Library history timeline.
The celebration began with speeches from Jill Bourne, the San José City Librarian as families chattered and bustled around the library’s Community Room.
“Not only are we celebrating the 20th birthday of this young, beautiful library, but also Lunar New Year, so we get to have double the fun,” Bourne said.
Located three miles south of campus, the library is one of the six facilities opened because of the $211.8 million from Measure O, according to the same Public Library history timeline.
This measure was the biggest library funding proposals of of the 2000 year, according to a November 2000 American Library Association press release.
Multiple attendees recalled their memories of the space when it was constructed and opened, including Betty Duong, Santa Clara County supervisor for District 2.
“The libraries are incredible and cherished resources in our community, I just can’t ever overstate that,” Duong said.
“(The) Tully library was our de facto Vietnamese community center space for many, many years.”
The Tully library offers a boon of resources for the East Asian community in the area, evidenced by its over 16,000 Vietnamese and Chinese language materials, according to the San José Public Library catalog.
“They’re here for good reason because this is the heart of Little Saigon,” Duong said.
Little Saigon is the
epicenter of San José’s substantial Vietnamese population, one of the largest of any city outside of Vietnam, according to Pew Research enumerations in 2019.
Today, the library is integrated with a Family Learning Center, which provides materials and classes for English language learning, navigating citizenship, digital literacy and more, according to the San José Public Library website.
Bien Doan, San José’s District 7 councilmember spoke to constituents at the hybrid Lunar New Year and anniversary celebration.
“It is the year of the snake,” Doan said. “We recognize the symbol of wisdom, the adaptability, that the transformation qualities reflect the resilience and the strength of our Vietnamese community right here in San José.”
Doan’s parents immigrated to the U.S. after the Vietnam War, the catalyst for America’s initial Vietnamese population boom, according to the councilmember’s biography on the City of San José website.
Kim Chu, the Tully Branch librarian who
organized the 20th Anniversary and Lunar New Year Festival, appreciated the appearance of the community’s representatives at the event on Friday.
“That’s really important for community leaders to come out and touch base and see the resources that are offered, the resources that are needed, and just hearing feedback from the people they serve,” Chu said.
The day of the Lunar New Year this year is observed on January 29, 2025, with around 2 billion people celebrating the renewal of the Chinese calendar globally, according to a University of California San Francisco web page.
Chu celebrated alongside their new community on Friday while wearing their áo dài, the national dress of Vietnam.
“It’s my cultural heritage, so for me, it's about connecting with family,” Chu said. “But since I’m in San José and I'm a little far from my family, it's been an experience for me to connect with others from my community, figuring out who my community is up here and being able to celebrate that with people.”
While children lined up on one side of the library to get their names scribed in calligraphy and vibrant portraits painted on their faces, families gathered for an hour of local youth performances on the other side of the building.
dancing.
“Being, you know, of Southeast Asian and East Indian heritage as well, watching your future generations kind of live the culture, I think is beautiful in itself,” Khangura said.
With the library’s five
It’s my cultural heritage, so for me, it's about connecting with family...
Kim Chu
Tully Community Branch Library librarian
One of those who gathered for the performances was Rashi Khangura, Director of Happier Aging at Nurse Next Door and a local home care provider.
“A lot of our demographics are Vietnamese and Chinese, and so we want to be able to come here and support them as they celebrate,” Khangura said.
Viêt Steps took the stage first, twirling fans and paper flowers as they showcased multiple forms of Múa Dân Gian, Vietnamese traditional
most popular language materials being English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and German, Chu said the location attracts a diverse array of patrons.
“Even though it is a Lunar New Year event, (we are) making sure that we have everyone from the community to participate,” Chu added.
Folklórico skirts whipped through the air and colorful lion facades danced down the aisles as the Vietnamese American Services Center youth folklórico dancers and Evergreen Wushu martial
artists closed out the performances.
“A lot of the Folklorico kids, the coordinator told me that they live down the street, so they've grown up in this area,” Chu said. “They’re part of this neighborhood, so it feels really special to have them come and perform with us.” Chu also said Friday’s event is the last they will organize for the Tully library as they prepare to transfer to another branch.
“I think during any process of putting an event together, it can be a little overwhelming with just all of the moving pieces that need to come together,” Chu said. “But I could not have done it without the support of my staff.”
As the Year of the Snake begins, new administrations begin on both the local and national levels.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of protecting our immigrant communities, making sure that Santa Clara County remains a welcoming community honoring that immigrant heritage,” Duong said.
Follow Saturn on Instagram @saturn.sjsu
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN JOSE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Traditional Vietnamese dancers from Viêt Steps perform a variation of Múa Dân Gian for Tully Community Branch Library.
Break dancers stay fresh for spring
3
#1: Stephen Le, a resident from San Jose who has been break dancing for 15 years, is DJ-ing music for the current break dancers.
#2: Jeremy Viray, a resident from San Jose, shows off his dance skills in front of the younger break dancers.
#3: Aidan Luu, a senior from Independence Highschool, spins on his head in front of the other break dancers. "My body is attracted to it and I want to do it," Luu said, "It's like an urge."
#4: Ethan Troung, a sophomore student from Independence Highschool, spins on one hand while the other break dancers watch him.
#5: Troung spins around on his head, hands and back.
#6: Daniel Medina, a 2024 guaduate from Independence Highschool, poses at the end of one of his dance rounds. "I feel like it's where I can be myself, where I can express myself," Medina said. 5 4 6 1 2
PHOTOS
SJSU rugby club hosts media day
By Hunter Yates STAFF WRITER
San José State men’s and women’s Rugby Club
Sports held a media day meeting on Wednesday ahead of the start of 202425 season.
Shania Stanley, women’s Rugby team captain and third year public health student shared her excitement for the season.
“Recruiting went really well, there’s definitely a lot of talent and athleticism within each woman that has joined the team,” Stanley said. “Most of the team is new to rugby and the chemistry that has formed over the preseason even I’m excited to see that carried over into the official season.”
In the meeting, head coach and director of the club rugby James Fonda gave insight of what the roster will look like for the upcoming season.
“The last couple seasons we’ve had quite a bit of seniors graduating and moving forward… we’ve only lost two seniors this year,” Fonda said.
In their previous season, women’s rugby won the national championship in the 2021-22 season.
In the same season, the Spartans managed to win every game making them 5-0 at the end of the season, according to their web page.
Rugby Opinion
“I think we’re going to be pretty strong leadership wise and talent wise on the team,” Fonda said. “We had that in 2022 when we won the national championship. We are on our way up from rebuilding from that era and are on a good pathway.”
Zach Tabangcura the men's rugby team captain and fourth year kinesiology student
felt there were a lot of obstacles and challenges during preseason.
“Our biggest challenge for us, teaching players, the rules and how we can operate as a full 15 (player) squad,” Tabangcura said.
The men’s Rugby team went undefeated last season making it the first season the Spartans went undefeated since the 1980’s according to a March 14, 2024
Instagram post.
In the same season the Spartans had their highest score differential with the final score being 72-3 against San Francisco State University.
“One thing I’ve been preaching all year is whatever you do on the field you also carry off the field and if all 15 guys, or all 45 guys on the roster stay composed,” Tabangcura said. “They’re
trustworthy, they’re showing up everyday, that's a team I want to play with consistently.”
The men’s rugby head coach Nick Schlobohm highlighted that twothirds of the roster are new to rugby or played a season or less of rugby.
“You have a lot of youth, a lot of passion,” Schlobohm said. “I think it’s a great place we’re in just as the women’s team,
we’re in this position to kind of coach this new team that’ll be here for four years.”
The Spartans first game of the season takes place this Saturday at home against Cal Poly Humboldt.
Sports are best when shared
By Sofia Hill CONTRIBUTOR
Whether it’s an American baseball game, a fútbol tournament in Mexico or an ice hockey match in Canada, sports bring unity around the world.
Players and fans alike have a love and appreciation for sports that extends beyond borders and spans across various countries.
Global connectivity is boosted even more when national competitions like the Olympics or the World Cup are held, which bring several cultures, countries and walks of life together to play sports.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, 206 National Olympic Committees and International Olympic Committees Refugee Olympic Team participated, according to the Olympics website.
Athletes from at least 206 different territories came together over their shared love and passion for sports.
organized for children are able to teach kids important life skills and values.
Since sports can be played by all genders, they can also bring the world closer to gender equality.
of women athletes that break records and inspire young girls who dream of becoming successful players.
Although I personally am not a big fan of sports, the power and influence sports hold is undeniable. Competitions and matches on also bring and friends
discuss the game.
Comp etitions and T V can also families together to discuss the game
A study reported that 68% of adults meet new people in their community because of sports, and 66% of them also said they felt a connection with their community because of sports, according to a 2023 Nextdoor survey. sports Sp o overal closer to
through inclusivity. After all, sports are not just forming national teams and associations.
Women are just as and talented their ataprofessionallevel t a p t w p gpy am not a sports
Female athletes like them constantly prove their athletic prowess as they strive to be top players in their respective sports.
I have several memories I’ll cherish of when I was younger at family parties, hosted just because of a sports game.
se vera l memories when I was younger at parties, just because of a sp orts game.
Fans of these national leagues are able to bond over their shared love for sports. The type of comradery felt when you go to a stadium and see the thousands of other fans wearing the same colors and rooting for the same team is like no other.
Besides national participation, sports are able to build communities
Sports also include the local leagues created for all ages, genders and backgrounds to participate which can promote equality between communities.
A study reported that 68% of adults meet new people in their community because of sports, and 66% of them also said they felt a connection with their community because of sports, according to a 2023 Nextdoor survey. Sport leagues that are
hardworking and talented as their m at participating in sports and competing at a professional level.
Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and Coco Gauff are some examples
Sports overall bring
enlightenment that can boost individuals’ well being from various places in the world.
Men and women’s rugby sports club members attentively listen to members of media’s questions in the Student Union on Wednesday.
