LOS ANGELES — Los Jornaleros del Norte performed protest songs from a flatbed truck converted into a mobile stage outside a large immigrant detention center in Adelanto, Calif., in March. The band blared their music through massive speakers in hopes the sound would penetrate the walls of the facility holding detained immigrants.

The band has provided the soundtrack to Los Angeles-area protests against the federal government's deportation campaign, working closely with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network to mobilize immigrant workers through music. Their lyrics reflect the hopes and struggles of undocumented workers evading immigration agents patrolling the streets, with most songs played as Mexican cumbias or corridos, a style of ballad that often narrates the experiences of working-class people.

"Since day one, we as musicians started organizing to protest wherever there were raids," said Omar León, the band's director, accordionist and songwriter. León, a community organizer and former day laborer, said the music changes the atmosphere at demonstrations.

"People are already ready to march and to chant. But when they hear the music, they get more excited. It also minimizes tension and confrontation between police, ICE agents and the people who are protesting," he said.

At the Adelanto protest, a young woman whose father was detained inside the facility yelled, "He can hear us!" She later shouted, "They all can hear us!" Lead singer Loyda Alvarado described the experience of performing outside the detention center. "It just felt so heavy," she said. "I was reminded that this is a way in which we resist as well. The joy, despite all the suffering, despite all the pain, is such an important part of what we do because it helps us to keep our culture and to connect with each other."

Conga player Manuel Vicente said the performances are intended as a message to those held inside. "We are bringing music for the people we love. And to show them that we're waiting for them outside. And that their community is doing everything we can to bring them back," he said.

The band's name, Los Jornaleros del Norte, means "The Day Laborers of the North," and most of its members are current or former day laborers. The group often performs at sites of recent immigration raids, including Home Depot stores where immigration agents have repeatedly targeted day laborers waiting in parking lots for work. The band has performed at immigrant and workers' rights protests for three decades.