Anti-illegal immigrants' forces like the Minutemen want an end to Sanctuary Cities. Now they've made a powerful alliance with another group: family members who lost a loved at the hands of an illegal immigrant -- someone who shouldn't have been here in the first place.
"It's just been a shock to our family and it's just beyond comprehension how the family feels right now," said Bologna family friend Frank Kennedy.
Tony Bologna and his two sons were shot to death in San Francisco earlier this summer.
Their family denounced the city's sanctuary practices in harboring the juvenile suspect, Edwin Ramos, who is a Salvadoran native possibly in San Francisco illegally.
Los Angeles also had a high profile murder this year where police say high school football star Jamiel Shaw, Junior, was gunned down by Pedro Espinoza, who may be in Los Angeles illegally.
Shaw's family has criticized LAPD's Special Order 40, which discourages officers from solely seeking immigration status.
"I feel like I raised my son for illegal alien bait. I don't feel like I accomplished my goal. My goal was to get him to 18. I was 10 months short," said Shaw's father Jamiel Shaw Sr.
Today's rally with the Minutemen and Family Members of murdered victims was meant to pressure California lawmakers into punishing sanctuary cities by withholding millions of dollars in state funding.
Opponents claim the move is racist and targets only Latinos.
"What I got from it is that all Hispanics that are not from here are going to commit a crime. They're going to shoot you, or they're selling drugs," said opponent Angelina Palomino.
"It's not go anything to do with race. It's got to do with legal & illegal. It's really sad that we're being painted that way. When it would protect everybody," said Joni Tofanelli from the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.
Withholding state funding for California's roughly 30 sanctuary cities is a long shot. Republican lawmakers have made at least three recent attempts and all have failed. But having grieving family members now on board could certainly help the fight.
