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Hundreds of San Antonians gathered Friday at Travis Park for a National Shutdown protest opposing President Trump and calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave U.S. cities.
Demonstrators filled the downtown park, with many leaving work, school or shopping behind as part of a nationwide call to protest what organizers described as expanded ICE operations in cities, including recent high-profile enforcement actions in Minneapolis.
After speeches from organizers, hundreds of protesters marched through downtown San Antonio.
Madison Marie said she left her retail job for the day to take part.
“The administration just thinks they can push us around and do whatever they want,” Marie said. “It’s gone too far.”
Stai Perez said he stepped away from his job at a car wash to call on San Antonians to speak out against what he described as fear-mongering and intimidation tied to immigration enforcement.
Both Perez and Marie said they want changes to the U.S. immigration system, including a faster path to citizenship.
"It needs to be faster," Perez said. “People wait months, even years to get into the U.S., and I think that’s unfair because a lot of people trying to come here have terrible lives outside.”
Jessica Solis of the Party for Socialism and Liberation was among the event’s organizers. She said opposition to Trump and ICE is growing both locally and nationwide.
“We’re seeing the crowds growing against Trump and the ICE administration," Solis said. "We’re seeing more and more people hit the streets as we see the violence escalating.”
The size and frequency of downtown protests have increased following two high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
The protest also comes amid heightened attention to immigration enforcement in South Texas, including demonstrations outside the ICE detention facility in Dilley after a 5-year-old boy detained in the Minneapolis area was transferred there with his father.
