Trump’s immigration policies trigger nationwide protests
Protest leaders point to conditions at detention center in El Paso, Texas, where federal authorities say three detainees have died in past six weeks
WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – Streets and campuses across the United States filled with protesters chanting slogans against U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the administration’s sweeping crackdown marking the first anniversary of his second term in office.
Marches unfolded from Washington to smaller cities such as Asheville, North Carolina and across university campuses, fueled by public anger over aggressive enforcement tactics and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a US citizen, by an immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Videos circulating online showed crowds chanting slogans such as “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA,” while students in Cleveland shouted, “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.” In Santa Fe, New Mexico, high school students walked out of class to attend a “Stop ICE Terror” rally at the state capitol.
The Trump administration has argued it is acting on a clear voter mandate to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.
Yet recent polling suggests broad public disapproval of the use of force by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies, a gap underscored by the scale and geographic spread of the protests.
Organized by left-leaning groups including Indivisible and 50501, alongside labor unions and grassroots organizations, the demonstrations also targeted immigration detention facilities.
Protest leaders pointed to conditions at a detention center in El Paso, Texas, where federal authorities say three detainees have died in the past six weeks.
As rallies continued through the Midwest and East Coast, organizers said additional protests were planned for West Coast cities including San Francisco and Seattle later in the day.
In Minnesota, where tensions have been highest, street protests showed little sign of easing Wednesday as the conflict widened into the courts.
Federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas on Tuesday to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
The subpoenas seek records related to whether state and local leaders obstructed or impeded federal immigration enforcement during a large-scale operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
A person familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the inquiry centers on whether public statements and actions by Minnesota officials violated a federal conspiracy statute.
The subpoenas arrived one day after the Justice Department urged a judge to dismiss Minnesota’s lawsuit aimed at halting the enforcement surge, calling the state’s legal challenge “legally frivolous.”
Ellison has argued that the federal operation violates constitutional protections, including free speech rights.
Walz, in a statement earlier this week, accused the administration of pursuing political distractions rather than justice.
Frey, whose office released one of the subpoenas, said the demands included “any records tending to show a refusal to come to the aid of immigration officials.”
“We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or silence local voices,” Frey said.
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