The Joy Of Mexico's World Cup Soccer Triumph In The Era Of Trump

Brenda Jaimes pushed her measurement done an ecstatic crowd successful downtown Santa Ana Thursday night, stopping successful nan mediate of Fourth Street and calling attraction to herself by shouting, “Me! Me!”

An hr earlier, Mexico hit South Korea 1-0 successful nan World Cup. Jaimes, a 22-year-old Santa Ana resident, was 1 of thousands of group who crowded into the neighborhood’s galore bars and restaurants to watch nan thrilling victory, past spilled onto nan streets to party.

Fans blew horns and spun noisemakers, chanting “México!” and “¡Sí se puede!” They brandished nan Mexican emblem seemingly everywhere: connected banners, painted connected cheeks, emblazoned connected Jaimes’ conduit top. They stood connected nan backmost of trucks and boogied.

An Orange County Fire Authority motortruck flashed its sirens to cheers. A statement of drivers cruised down Fourth Street — the historical taste and economical heart of Latino Orange County — to high-five nan crowd and fto group shingle their cars arsenic if everyone was wrong a bounce house.

Jaimes wanted thing much dramatic.

She laic down successful nan arms of immoderate men wearing greenish Mexico shot jerseys. They counted to three, launched her a bully 8 feet upward, past effortlessly caught nan laughing Jaimes.

Scenes for illustration this replicated themselves crossed Southern California aft nan match, from Koreatown to Boyle Heights to Pacoima to Huntington Park — really, anyplace pinch a large Latino population. It happens immoderate time Mexico wins large successful soccer. But nan pachanga was moreover much pronounced successful Santa Ana.

A twelvemonth earlier, Fourth Street was empty. Federal migration agents were seizing group crossed nan city. The National Guard group up a roadblock complete pinch an equipped Humvee for complete a month, conscionable a artifact distant from wherever Jaimes and truthful galore others celebrated.

One of nan astir Latino large cities successful nan state trembled successful fear. On Thursday night, Santa Ana erupted successful joy.

“This present is nan antithesis of nan raids past year,” said Sandra De Anda, who wore a Stetson and a Tigres Mexican shot nine jersey and waved a South Korea flag. She’s nan head of argumentation and ineligible strategy astatine nan Orange County Rapid Response Network.

Last June, nan Santa Ana autochthonal joined thousands arsenic they marched down Fourth Street for days demanding that ICE and nan National Guard time off town. Through nan remainder of 2025, she and others successful nan Rapid Response Network fought la migra successful courthouses and done fundraisers for migrant detainees and their loved ones.

“They tried to return our organization down, but they had nary chance,” De Anda added arsenic her fellow rushed disconnected to subordinate nan celebration. “We Mexicans ever get hit down, but we person pride. Tonight, you spot really we guidelines up erstwhile we request to.”

Jaimes agreed.

“It’s truthful important to do this particularly aft past year,” she told maine aft her short move arsenic a Cirque du Soleil performer. “We don’t attraction what Trump tin opportunity astir this. It was his day precocious — who cares? This correct present is real.”

Another young female shrieked arsenic she sailed supra us. Jaimes pointed astatine her, past looked astatine me. “Throw yourself también [also], bro!”

I stuck to slapping nan hoods and windows of truthful galore cars that my manus turned achromatic pinch soot.

Seeing Mexico go nan first state to triumph its World Cup group would beryllium thrilling immoderate year. But successful 2026, erstwhile Trump continues to meddle successful Latin American affairs while his migra goons support launching raids crossed nan country, nan restitution hits that overmuch more.

Few things irk Trump and his followers much than Mexicans succeeding astatine anything. Eleven years agone this week, he announced his statesmanlike run by stating that Mexico was “not sending its best” immigrants but instead, group he claimed were mostly rapists and supplier dealers. Trump has spent his 2 position obsessing complete nan U.S.-Mexico border, attacking thing that reeks of diverseness and demeaning Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum arsenic if she were a inferior executive astatine 1 of his galore grounded companies.

Conservatives and much than a fewer liberals ever get furious erstwhile Mexican Americans activity nan emblem of their ancestral homeland — but rooting for Mexico’s shot squad particularly brings retired nan venom. Fans acold outnumber supporters of nan U.S. shot squad during matches successful this country, which brings connected accusations of treason against Mexican Americans even though different diasporas do nan same, pinch obscurity adjacent nan aforesaid opprobrium.

Haters don’t get why truthful galore Mexican Americans guidelines for El Tri. The squad embodies what it intends to beryllium Mexican: they’re a bully group of folks who ever look to get bad breaks and ne'er look to triumph against nan powers that beryllium — but ne'er extremity fighting for a amended day, while having nosy doing so.

That’s why Americans of each ethnicities should backmost Mexico on pinch nan U.S. broadside successful this World Cup, which Trump has already sullied. The Department of Homeland Security denied a Somali referee entry into this state because he allegedly was “talking to immoderate very bad people,” per nan White House World Cup task force. The Trump management is forcing Iran’s squad to guidelines their training campy successful Tijuana, which intends they person to alert to matches successful Los Angeles and Seattle alternatively of taking a short autobus travel for illustration each different team.

Every Mexico triumph should springiness solace to nan underdogs of nan world and affirm nan belief that a communion of nations engaged successful friends rivalries is amended than Trump’s proclivity for launching indiscriminate raids and bombings. To cheer for Mexico is astir arsenic American arsenic you tin get correct now.

Sydney Tran took her move astatine nan Fourth Street convoy successful a Honda Civic packed pinch friends. The crowd shook her car pinch specified vigor that nan 23-year-old Westminster resident couldn’t move up nan euphony for illustration group shouted astatine her to do.

“This is crazy!” yelled Tran, who wore a Mexico shot jersey. “I’m Vietnamese, but this is awesome to spot my Mexican friends truthful happy. They merit to beryllium happy — it’s been unsmooth for them. It’s been unsmooth for each immigrants.”

Mexico fans observe a extremity while watching a FIFA World Cup shot Group A matchup betwixt Mexico and South Korea successful Boyle Heights Thursday, June 18.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

The festivities were still going beardown erstwhile I left. Restaurants that were usually closed by 10 p.m. had lines retired nan door. Dance parties germinated connected sidewalks. Rancheras, funk and oldies blasted everywhere. The constabulary were obscurity to beryllium seen, dissimilar past year, erstwhile they collapsed up nan anti-ICE protests pinch rubber bullets and tear gas.

Cynicism changeable done maine for a second. Mexico, which won connected a fluke extremity and 2 miraculous saves, stands virtually nary chance of beating shot titans for illustration France and Argentina erstwhile nan knockout shape of nan World Cup begins. Trump’s migration squad vows that much raids are forthcoming. And I tin only dream that nan overwhelmingly young crowd will return nan passion they showed for Mexican shot to nan ballot container this November.

Then I chilled out.

Everyone astir maine sewage to respire and shriek and fto retired their frustrations astir our federation successful nan astir delightful measurement imaginable. Reality would return nan adjacent greeting — but for 1 night, for a fewer hours, life was awesome for Mexican Americans, and amended days up seemed possible. Sí se puede, indeed.