Thousands of workers, students and activists marched across U.S. cities and university campuses Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, marking one year since the start of his second term.
Outrage after fatal ICE shooting
The demonstrations were fueled by anger over recent enforcement actions, including the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother, during an ICE raid in Minneapolis earlier this month. The incident, in which federal agents dragged Good from her car before she was shot, has intensified scrutiny of ICE tactics.
Trump has defended his administration’s approach, saying immigration agents “will make mistakes sometimes,” while arguing voters gave him a mandate to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.
Marches from Washington to small cities
Hundreds gathered in Washington, D.C., while protests also spread to smaller cities such as Asheville, North Carolina, where demonstrators marched downtown chanting slogans opposing ICE and what they called rising authoritarianism. Online videos showed crowds denouncing federal enforcement and demanding accountability.
Polls taken in recent weeks show most Americans disapprove of the use of force by ICE and other federal agencies, even as immigration remains a divisive political issue.
Students join the movement
Students played a visible role in the protests. University demonstrators in Cleveland, Ohio, chanted messages welcoming refugees, while high school students in Santa Fe, New Mexico, walked out of class to attend a “Stop ICE Terror” rally at the state capitol, according to organizers and school officials.
Organizers and broader demands
The actions were organized by left-leaning groups including Indivisible and 50501, alongside labor unions and grassroots organizations opposing immigrant detention centers. Activists also pointed to conditions at detention facilities, including one in El Paso, Texas, where three detainees have died in the past six weeks, according to federal authorities.
More protests planned
As the day progressed, demonstrations were expected to move west, with rallies planned in cities including San Francisco and Seattle. Organizers said the nationwide actions were meant to sustain pressure on the administration as Trump pushes forward with one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement agendas in recent history.
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