Burbank anti-ICE protest: “effective but obnoxious”
Screaming protesters in face masks are huddled around a metal trash can with silver pots, spoons, and pans, banging the cookware into the side of the wastebin. Others are smacking the roof of a bus stop, keeping a rhythm. The crowd is blaring music through speakers, dancing, and creating as much noise as possible.
On June 19, protesters arranged a “No Sleep for ICE” demonstration outside the Cambria Hotel Burbank Airport at 9 p.m., demanding that the hotel stop accommodating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents staying on the property.
“I’m not getting any sleep because of you. So you won’t be getting any sleep because of me, asshole thugs,” a protester said, marching while carrying a megaphone.
Since June 6, ICE agents in ski masks, street clothes, and tactical gear have conducted mass immigration sweeps in predominantly Latino communities, igniting protests throughout Los Angeles County.
“They’re abducting residents. They’re just picking up whoever, and we don’t like that,” a Burbank Tenants Union (BTU) member, who asked to remain anonymous because of retaliation, said. “So we’re here to make sure that they don’t get a good sleep.”
According to some Cambria staff members, who asked to remain anonymous, the protesters have been successful. “It’s been extremely effective. Four people have left. I just wish that they were louder. People are asking to move rooms, so they’re moving them towards the back.”
Some staff members cheered the protesters and expressed their wishes to join, but others wanted to express their frustration with management.
“We feel betrayed. It’s disgusting,” a worker said. “We’ve always had management’s back, and now, when we need them, nothing. This makes us look bad. It makes us look like we support them (ICE), and we don’t. People aren’t showing up to work until they leave. We want Cambria to get them out of here.”
According to the Cambria Hotel’s front desk, the hotel denies the allegations.
The “No Sleep for ICE” protests are a series of demonstrations, orchestrated on social media, that entail protesters organizing outside hotels allegedly lodging ICE agents. In Burbank, protesters stood outside and blasted music from amps, yelled out of megaphones, signaled at 18-wheelers to honk, and tried to be as deafening as possible.
“I think this is a really smart way to protest. This is really nice, it’s nothing like TV,” a hotel guest from Oregon, who preferred to stay anonymous, said. “I’m not against it, but it is obnoxious. Effective, but obnoxious.”
The intended goal of the protest is to keep ICE agents awake, but hotel patrons and the business are also feeling the effects. “I got a notification, saw the protesters. I get it. I support it, but it’s obnoxious and I’m leaving,” a hotel guest, with his bags in hand and shaking his head, said.
The “no.sleep.for.ice” Instagram page, the organizer of the event, also suggested that protesters express their disapproval of the hotels on TripAdvisor. The Cambria Hotel received zero new reviews on TripAdvisor, but amassed 12 one-star ratings on Yelp overnight. Their score now stands at 2.6 stars.
Burbank is not a sanctuary city, or a city with local ordinances that fully limit cooperation with immigration enforcement, but council members have taken steps to protect its undocumented community. In Feb. 2025, the council adopted a resolution that extends the California Values Act and Burbank Police Department (BPD) policy 428 to all city employees.
According to the resolution, it prohibits city personnel and resources from aiding in federal immigration enforcement and bars city employees from collecting or sharing immigration related information, unless required by law. Burbank also created a public education program and webpage to inform community members of their rights.
“I’m so proud of Burbank for coming out to fight against ICE,” another BTU member said, under the condition of anonymity. “Burbank stands for vulnerable people; it stands for marginalized communities.”
With one Instagram post, community members organized, mobilized, and executed an act of civil disobedience. According to a Cambria staff member who spoke anonymously with the Corsair, ICE checked out of the hotel on Jun. 20. However, ICE continues to conduct raids in a county determined to fight back.
“If you have ICE agents, then we’re going to show up every single night, and you’re not going to get any rest,” a BTU member said. “These hotels need to cut their contracts with ICE and kick them the fuck out. We are a community of people who are immigrants, people who are working class. We can not have this here. We don’t want them (ICE) here.”