On the anniversary of President Donald Trump's second term, mass protests erupted throughout the United States involving thousands of workers, students, and community members. These demonstrations expressed strong opposition to the Trump administration's stringent immigration policies and enforcement tactics that have sparked significant public outcry in recent weeks.
Protesters gathered in major cities such as Washington, D.C., as well as smaller municipalities including Asheville, North Carolina, where participants marched through downtown areas while vocalizing slogans like "No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA," as captured in numerous online videos. The demonstrations followed incidents in which federal immigration agents forcefully apprehended individuals, including a U.S. citizen who was removed from her vehicle and the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother named Renee Good in Minneapolis.
In addition to urban centers, university campuses were notable sites for these protests. At Cleveland, Ohio, students chanted affirmations such as "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here," underscoring a welcoming position contrasting federal immigration enforcement. Similarly, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, high school students left their classrooms to participate in a "Stop ICE Terror" rally held at the state capitol, reflecting political activism among younger demographics.
The protest campaigns were orchestrated by several left-leaning organizations, including Indivisible and 50501, alongside labor unions and grassroots groups actively opposing immigrant detention centers. Particular attention has been drawn to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, where three detainees died within a six-week span, according to federal records.
Organizers planned further demonstrations extending westward to cities like San Francisco and Seattle, scheduling afternoon and evening events to maintain pressure on immigration enforcement policies. Despite the Trump administration’s assertions of possessing a voter mandate to deport undocumented immigrants, recent polling data reveal a majority of Americans disapprove of aggressive tactics employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related federal law enforcement agencies.