Thousands of U.S. workers and students marched through major cities and university campuses Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Marking the first anniversary of Trump’s second term, "Free America Walkout" demonstrations erupted nationwide. Protesters focused on an aggressive enforcement crackdown, specifically the recent death of Renee Nicole Good.2 Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother, was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.
In Washington, D.C., and smaller cities such as Asheville, North Carolina, crowds marched through downtown corridors.4 According to video footage, demonstrators chanted, “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA.”
While the Trump administration maintains it has a voter mandate to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, recent polling indicates a majority of Americans disapprove of the level of force used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies.
The protests saw significant youth participation. In Cleveland, university students chanted, “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.” In Santa Fe, New Mexico, high schoolers left class for a “Stop ICE Terror” rally at the state capitol.
The actions were coordinated by a coalition of labor unions and grassroots groups including Indivisible and the 50501 movement. Organizers specifically highlighted the conditions at detention centers like "Camp East Montana" in El Paso, Texas, where federal authorities recently confirmed three detainee deaths within six weeks.
The wave of demonstrations is expected to continue into the evening as rallies move west to San Francisco and Seattle.
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