When United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers descended upon Southern California last summer, Dulce Flores and Angie Portillio started Ponte Your Moños, a project to adorn their fellow Latinas with traditional ribbon braids and raise money to support their vulnerable neighbors.
Ponte Your Moños, or “put on your bow,” gets its name from the Spanish phrase “ponte chingona,” which essentially means “be a badass,” according to CALÓ News.
And for many people with Mexican and Central American roots, lace and ribbon braids are integral to their heritage. Stemming from Indigenous cultural celebrations in Oaxaca, these accessories are now often worn in braids as a part of Quinceañeras, Sunday mass, or even in wedding ceremonies.
Since June, Flores and Portillio, along with a growing roster of volunteers, have braided the hair of more than 1,000 people at pop-up events across the Santa Ana and Los Angeles areas, with the cost of every service going back to provide relief for immigrant neighbors in their community.
Their donation system is simple. According to Ponte Your Moños, people pay what they can (and are not turned away if they don’t have the money), and then Flores and Portillio distribute funds to community members impacted by ICE raids.
Other times, they will buy out street vendors so they can go home and be safe with their families.
It’s not clear how much they have raised in total. At one event outside of the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, the group reportdly helped raise $5,000 for detainees to make phone calls to their families, get legal support, and cover their commissary fees.
“Showing support to the detainees from outside the facility was such a heavy moment but definitely inspired me to keep going and do more,” one volunteer from the event, Karent, shared on Instagram.
Along with their fundraising efforts, the emotional and cultural element of building a small army of Latina women adorned with ribbons and lace also has a positive impact.
The braid styles, called trenzas, are easily identifiable among Latinas, and represent a “beautiful way to protest,” Portillio told the Washington Post last fall.
At their braiding events, the group shows up in a small tent with a bright pink banner that reads: “Make braids, no raids.” By showing up in the world, wearing a traditional piece of their heritage, they say, “our braids become a form of protection.”
“I know many of us are feeling it, the anxiety and uncertainty of this moment. In times like these, community matters more than ever,” a recent Instagram post from Ponte Your Moños shared.
“When we come together, even small acts like braiding hair become reminders of care, connection, and shared strength. These moments ground us, affirm who we are, and show the power of showing up for one another. Together, we move forward with resilience, compassion, and hope.”
The act of braiding itself provides an outlet to process the crisis of the moment and connect with other women, according to those involved.
“Having girl time was so healing,” one volunteer, Ashley, shared in a Reel about working with Ponte Your Moños.
“One thing that really stuck with me is that mostly every girl that sat in the chair, they said that it reminded them, took them back to their childhood, when their mom used to do their trenzas.”
“It’s in our roots,” Portillio added to CALÓ News. “It’s a tribute, or homage, to them.”
“Fashion has always been political,” Flores affirmed.
As the trend takes shape, other chapters of Ponte Your Moños are being created in cities across the country. Flores told FOX 11 News in Los Angeles that she is getting inquiries from people in other places, asking for guidance on how to replicate this type of resistance.
“Ponte Your Moños Minnesota — can you imagine?” Flores excitedly told FOX 11. “The whole point is for young people to embrace their culture while standing up in protest to what’s happening in our nation.”
And for those who want to learn how to do their own trenzas, Ponte Your Moños believes the style is “a way to take up space with intention and pride.”
“At a time when ICE enforcement and immigration policies create fear and uncertainty, this initiative affirms visibility, dignity, and belonging,” the group shared on Instagram.
“Through culture and community, we send a clear message: We are here, we matter, and we are not going anywhere.”
You may also like: Red knitted 'Melt the ICE' hats raise $650K for Minnesota
Header image courtesy of Samirah Serrano/Instagram
