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After news that Vice President JD Vance had a family visit planned to Disneyland, hundreds of people turned out to protest his trip to the Happiest Place on Earth while Trump administration’s immigration policies result in ICE raids across Los Angeles.
“No family vacation while we deal with family separation,” read one protester sign, adorned with Vance’s face.
Protesters gathered outside the nearby Grand Californian Hotel where the Vice President and his family were staying, waving flags and chanting.
“I would tell [Vance] to go home,” one protester told Fox 11. “Get the hell out of here. We don’t want him here.”
But the following day Vance, his wife, Usha, and their two kids were spotted strolling through the California park’s Bayou Country section. Other park goers complained that regular guests were experiencing delays and long lines because of the additional security and rides being shut down for the Vance family.
The Second Family was seen walking hand-in-hand, surrounded by what appeared to be casually-dressed Secret Service agents, as Vance took in the sights of the newly reimagined Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride.
The ride, which replaced the longtime fixture Splash Mountain, has drawn controversy for replacing the outdated “Song of the South” storyline. Conservators and critics continue to debate whether the overhaul is culturally progressive or political.
Orange County officials learned of Vance’s visit on Thursday, Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento told KTLA, who admitted that the vice president’s arrival in California “comes at a time when trust in government feels fragile.”
Sarmiento’s district, which includes Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, and Tustin, has seen a rise in ICE raids and what advocates call “racial profiling” targeting Latino communities since June, the same month ICE raids made headlines in LA.
“I welcome any policymaker to visit, listen, and witness the hard-working immigrant communities that make our county strong,” Sarmiento said. “I respect the office, but I can’t respect policies that hurt our people.”
