A poignant campaign of missing-person posters has taken the streets of Los Angeles, illuminating the stories of those affected by cruel immigration policies. The initiative, spearheaded by Sydney, a 29-year-old music industry professional, aims to humanize the narratives of immigrants affected by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
With bright red lettering, the posters demand your attention. In return, they increase the visibility of immigrants boldly stating messages like, “Been living in the US for 10 years. They stand as powerful testaments to the real-life struggles behind the numbers that commonly get overlooked in the heated world of politics. The concept of the mural came from various protest photo slogans and traditional Mexican decoration flags. She ended up designing a stylized profile image for social media that turned into a larger #mynameiscampaign.
Ben, a 28-year-old designer, was instrumental in helping drive the scope of this idea well beyond its original borders. By simply circulating a PDF of the poster design among his friends, he created a viral wave of grassroots enthusiasm that surged forward. The campaign began as a modest but powerful grassroots effort between family and friends. It quickly became a city-wide sensation, posters appearing on just about every telephone pole around the city, sharing space with flyers for comedy shows and garage sales.
Sebastian, now 31, worked with Ben to use the posters as a distribution guide, getting them into varied neighborhoods all over Los Angeles. These posters each tell an incredible story of someone experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. For instance, they highlight stories such as Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland man deported to El Salvador without a hearing, Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled persecution in Venezuela, and Gladis Yolanda Chávez Pineda, who was taken by ICE during a mandatory check-in appointment.
She was compelled to advocate for those who were affected by immigration enforcement. Too many of their stories are untold, and she wanted to help fix that.
“I just wanted to tie something beautiful with something very political and loud.” – Sydney
The posters are intended to push back against the dominant narrative that criminalizes immigrants. Ben articulated this sentiment, stating:
That hasn’t even been the best part — the vibrant visuals alongside these impactful messages have struck a chord. Ben’s story about an older woman he encountered moved us to deep emotion. When she stopped one day to read one of the posters, tears came to her eyes as she understood the human cost of immigration policy.
“I just wanted to reframe this idea of immigrants as criminals and put into perspective that these are people – this is someone’s grandmother, this is someone’s father, this is someone’s son.” – Ben
Against the backdrop of a myriad of intersecting political crises, the posters have become a tool for gentle resistance. They not only create sparks of interest, they spark community discussions that help rehumanize immigrants and create empathy around immigrant issues. Sydney noted how recent news has brought these issues to the forefront:
“At that moment, I was like, ‘OK, this is actually connecting to people.’” – Ben
Sebastian, who made a personal connection to the cause evident by sharing his own story.
“You read something tragic every morning lately about the ICE raids.” – Sydney
Beyond its overtly national message, the campaign overlaps with other localized protests and initiatives. The flyers posted around Los Angeles listed specific instances and advertised protests including Saturday’s “No Kings” protests. They further topped that with the mic drop often attributed to the Dreamers, “Undocumented hands feed you.”
“I moved here from Colombia 14 years ago, and ever since the first Trump administration, I’ve seen my community being attacked.” – Sebastian
The campaign also coincides with other local protests and initiatives. Many of the flyers displayed around Los Angeles not only addressed individual cases but also promoted events like Saturday’s “No Kings” protests and highlighted messages such as “Undocumented hands feed you.”