Vice President JD Vance reportedly visits Disneyland with kids

Vice President JD Vance in Bayou Country at Disneyland pic.twitter.com/Jm6XyQ7L7Q— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) July 12, 2025 Vice President JD Vance appeared to be visiting Disneyland with his family Saturday, one day after reports of his visit sparked a small protest near the resort over the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration in the Southland. The YouTube channel @DisneyScoopGuy posted a short video appearing to show Vance and two of his three children at Disneyland Saturday morning, walking through the park and riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The video also showed security personnel with bomb-sniffing dogs at the park, though it wasn’t clear if they were from the Secret Service. Will O’Neill, the chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, said Friday that he was told the vice president was in the county with family in a visit that was not political in nature. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner said county officials were alerted that a “VIP” was going to land at John Wayne Airport on Friday. Reports that Vance was staying at the Anaheim theme park resort, possibly at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, prompted some demonstrators to gather at Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue on Friday evening. On Friday, second lady Usha Vance visited Camp Pendleton near Oceanside as part of the Blue Star Books program, which donates books to military children, the OC Register reported. The vice president was in Southern California last month as well, touring a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Center and federal mobile command center in Los Angeles on June 20. On that day he met with leadership and U.S. Marines and criticized local Democratic officials for what he characterized as encouraging illegal immigration and the violence that broke out at some early protests after the local raids began June 6. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said he wouldn’t be opposed to meeting with Vance if he chose to engage in an official visit, but only if Vance was willing to discuss the concerns of his constituents about the continued immigration crackdowns here. The enforcement efforts are “terrorizing residents and shuttering our businesses and making people live in fear,” said Sarmiento, a Democrat. The supervisor said he considers some of the enforcement actions “constitutional abuses,” alleging that many of those arrested are “abducted” and then deported without any due process hearings. The result is many residents fear patronizing local businesses or engaging in any public activities, Sarmiento said. “We have businesses barely hanging on,” Sarmiento said, mentioning that businesses were hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic and then had to cope with construction for the streetcar system. Supervisor Don Wagner, a Republican, said he understands the concerns raised about the way some of the immigration enforcement actions have rolled out and has questions himself. But he said it is counterproductive to slam a top elected leader out of hand. “When (former President Joe) Biden came here, despite my policy disagreements, I attended an event and didn’t protest and didn’t put out a statement” critical of Biden, Wagner said. “Because I think dialogue is better than just saying `stay away.’ “ Wagner added, “Like it or not he’s the vice president and we have questions for the administration.” Wagner said he would like to know what “criteria (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is using” to target people for arrest. “How bad are the people they’re picking up and are there worse folks they’re letting go?” Wagner said. “We don’t know that. Help us understand.” The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations against it. “Claims that individuals have been `targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE. DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,” according to DHS. –City News Service