‘It’s a scary time’: Limerick student caught in Los Angeles protests

A LIMERICK student on a study abroad semester in Los Angeles, California described needing to wear sunglasses, a hat and a face mask to disguise himself in public as protests raged on in the city following immigration sweeps.
University of Limerick student Ódran Furlong spent his spring semester in California State University Long Beach and planned to use the remaining weeks of his visa to see the sights of Los Angeles.
During his last week in the City of Angels, the 22 year old’s plans were thwarted following the sparking of mass protests against ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations.
Protests began in Downtown LA on Friday, June 6 following reports of immigration sweeps in the area. The National Guard was called to the city by President Donald Trump on Sunday, June 6, and protests continued throughout the following week.
On Saturday, June 14, protests took place in all 50 states to mark what was dubbed “No Kings Day”.

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Following numerous stories in the media about international students being deported and President Trump’s decision to prevent international students from attending Harvard University, Castleconnell native Ódran Furlong felt he needed to steer clear of any neighbourhoods where protests were ongoing.
“I mean, as an exchange student,” he explained, “it's hard to avoid hearing stories of other international students who've been involved in protesting or caught around protesting who've gotten into bother… It's a scary time.”
Ódran had been staying in Downtown LA when the protests first broke out, but moved further out to Anaheim, Orange County once the protests started building in size and number.
“I would not be in Downtown for a lot of money at the moment,” he admitted.
Making sure to keep his eyes glued to the news updates about the situation, Ódran has taken extra precautions to keep safe: “Whenever I leave my motel, especially if I’m going to an area that I know has had protests happening in, I carry a face mask that not only covers the front of my face but covers my hair as well.
“I carry a big pair of sunglasses and a hat too so that, just in case anything starts happening in an area around me, I can cover myself well enough so that I’m not recognised on security cameras and things like that.”
He has been successful in avoiding the action thus far, but has seen dozens of people carrying flags and masks heading to and from protests.
Amongst the crowds are several of the friends Ódran has made during his time in California who have been affected by immigration raids: “They've been out protesting and every time they go, I fear for them, you know? They're protesting peacefully and facing rubber bullets. It's quite scary.”
Ódran’s last week in California has been “very uneasy”.
“I know that the likelihood is, because I’ve been keeping myself safe, that nothing's gonna happen to me. However, if I hear a siren, l'm instantly looking around to see where it's coming from,” he explained.
“I’m checking up on my friends to make sure that they're keeping themselves safe and if they're out peacefully protesting, I’m making sure that they've come home.”

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Ódran describes LA as an “incredible” city: “I have a lot of love for it. I have a lot of love for people here.”
“I think that the diversity of the area is one of its greatest strengths,” he said. “The melting pot of different cultures added so much to my whole experience, getting to meet people from different places with different viewpoints. And now there's an effort being made to stamp that out.
“It has made me live the last couple of days on my toes in fear, unable to relax, always watching where l'm going, making sure that there's nothing happening in an area that I want to go to.”
Though the protests have slowed (at time of writing), Ódran is “on edge” going to sleep at night, as he has no idea what he will wake up to come morning.
“l'm on my toes all the time, I can't afford to relax.”