Immigrant Youth Coalition demonstrators rally in Boyle Heights as part of march across Calif.

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Dozens of protesters rallied in Boyle Heights on Friday in a demonstration against recent immigration raids, deportations and police shootings. The local protest was part of a statewide march organized by the Immigrant Youth Coalition.

The mission of the California-based group, led by LGBTQ youth, is to "mobilize youth, families and incarcerated people to end the criminalization of immigrants and people of color," according to the organization's website.

"We come out of the shadows, just as black people came out against racism, just like the LGBT community came out against homophobia," Jonathan Perez said. "This process of coming out is not new. It's about revealing unapologetically who we are."

Boyle Heights marked the protesters' third stop as they traverse Southern California, with plans to reach Sacramento as well.

"We're just here to show the community that there's other undocumented people amongst us and there's no reason to be afraid," Jazmin Hernandez said.

"We know our rights and we know we have the right to organize like today," she continued. "It's mostly just to bring empowerment to the community."