Changing the culture
Santa Maria teenager creates local organization, national march in response to Trump’s narrative against immigrants, ICE raids
Fed up with watching the federal government viciously attack hardworking communities like his, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez shifted the focus of his organization, La Cultura Del Mundo, to protect his immigrant brothers and sisters.
“We are here to protect all immigrants—no matter where you are from, who you believe in, who you love, or where you stand,” Vasquez said during public comment at Santa Maria’s July 1 city council meeting. “Join us on August 1st for La Marcha De La Puebla, as we show immigrants across the United States that they are the heroes, not the villains that history has written them to be.”
On Aug. 1, Vasquez and La Cultura Del Mundo will lead La Marcha De La Puebla: Heroes Not Villains, starting at noon at Santa Maria City Hall, located at 110 E. Cook St. Vasquez said showing up with pride and possibly a poster is all that’s required of anyone interested in participating.
“Expect to march, protest, and celebrate for hours,” he said. “It’s an all-day event. We’ll have music, art shows, truck and car clubs, and a theater performance.”
Realizing the limitations of modern noisemakers filling the void, Vasquez converted his life skill workshop-oriented community group into a political movement on the ground in Santa Maria creating change. He started organizing La Marcha De La Puebla in May to fight the Trump administration’s pervasive racist narrative surrounding immigrants and end the nightmare of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
“The No Kings Day protests were really good at targeting one person, but they only targeted that one person,” Vasquez said. “Our goal is to build a sustainable movement that defends millions of people instead of attacking one person for one day.”
Seeking to create a campaign that grows, rather than peaks for a day and ends, Vasquez said he’s been establishing and nurturing relationships with organizers across the country since May. The march currently has commitments for supporting protests from activists in 12 other states: Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
“In other states, multiple cities are protesting,” Vasquez said. “We want to ensure Santa Maria is the only one in California, so we can bring together as many people as possible and show the power we have when unified. I have people coming from the bay, L.A., San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard.”
As the Trump administration divides Americans and cuts crucial services, Vasquez designed La Marcha De La Puebla to bring people in this country together to protect it from being destroyed.
“We’ll release flyers in different languages, so immigrants from European and African countries can feel included and know this is not just for immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries, it’s for all immigrants across the U.S.,” he said.
La Cultura Del Mundo meets every Monday at 5 p.m. to plan weekly stunts that raise awareness for their organization and protest movement. Still searching for a consistent office, the group has been meeting at a different place each week since the meetings began in late May. Vasquez said anyone interested in attending can message him for details.
17-year-old Jesus Herrera Romero, part of La Cultura Del Mundo’s public relations team, said he met Vasquez in February, when he organized Righetti High School for Vasquez’s walkout of middle school to college students across Santa Barbara County.
Herrera Romero said his friends and family members are so on edge due to ICE raids, they get scared when they see black or white SUVs or the green stripe on the side of park rangers’ trucks.
“We're going to be pushing for different resolutions across the U.S. that support immigrants, so we can build up from the local level,” Vasquez said. “We're trying to build this movement locally, so other local governments will feel pressure to support immigrants, and, from there, establish safety nets across the country.”
Running La Cultura Del Mundo isn’t all he does to support. As a responder for 805UndocuFund’s Rapid Response Network, Vasquez patrols Santa Maria to ensure no ICE officers or impersonators are kidnapping his community members.
“Someone recently asked me what I’m fighting for,” Vasquez said. “Yes, I'm fighting for immigrants to stay together with their families and for field workers to get higher pay. Yes, I’ve fought for environmental justice, women’s rights, and educational equity, and against violence. But, in life, my goal is to fight for hope.”
To support or donate to La Marcha De La Puebla, email 805cesarvasquez@gmail.com. La Cultura Del Mundo can be found on Instagram @laculturadelmundo and online at laculturadelmundo.org. For more information, contact info@laculturadelmundo.org.
*This story was originally published July 10, 2025, at https://www.santamariasun.com/news/santa-maria-youth-respond-to-stepped-up-ice-enforcement-16659057