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Several thousand people in downtown San Antonio joined Saturday's “No-Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance” to condemn President Donald Trump’s military parade and his administration's other actions and policies — especially on immigration.
The three-hour event in Travis Park officially ended shortly before 8 p.m. but some demonstrators continued protesting as the sun set.
Police assembled nearby, and their cruisers' throbbing blue and red lights cast surreal shadows across the park and on nearby buildings. The scene remained peaceful.
Other protestors marched toward Alamo Plaza after the Travis Park event ended.
"Seeing other people be here and supporting one another, it was surreal. It was unimaginable," said David, one protester who asked only to be identified by his first name.
He said he attended the rally as soon as it began to show solidarity and fight for immigrants' rights. "It's never going to stop unless something is done," he said.
Awaiting them were dozens of National Guard soldiers — deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott to San Antonio and other Texas cities — and law enforcement officers.
Some of the personnel were arrayed in a cordon with their arms crossed in front of them or behind them. They limited access to the plaza.
Marchers held up their signs again and chanted. Two people held up a Mexican flag between them. That scene also remained peaceful.
'You can't say you love this city'
The late afternoon event in Travis Park started early and grew quickly.
Adults and children carried U.S. flags and protest signs, snapped pictures and sipped from water bottles — the day's heat kept the temperature in the high 80s — as they crossed streets to join the growing crowd in the park.
Tents were set up throughout the space. Leafy trees offered some precious shade from the sunshine as people listened to speeches from the stage.
"We find people in this city that proudly celebrate San Antonio's culture while ignoring the very communities who created it," Alyn Miranda with SA Stands told the crowd.
"You can't say you love this city and then turn your back on its people. You want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, drink aguas frescas, enjoy Tex-Mex food, celebrate Lunar New Year, but then stay silent while immigrant communities and families are being detained, deported and torn apart."
No Kings Day protests begin in San Antonio at Travis Park.
— Texas Public Radio (@texaspublicradio.bsky.social) June 14, 2025 at 5:09 PM
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Paul Alexander was also in the crowd. He said that he was "celebrating America because I remain hopeful about America. And I think this is going to be a pivotal day. And it’s really wonderful to be in the company of all these other Americans who really know what our values are about. And who want to preserve, and yes, conserve them. That’s what people don’t realize; we are the real conservatives.”
Alexander said the Uber driver who brought him and his wife downtown helped put Saturday's event in perspective for them.
"It was almost like fate," he said. "The driver was an Iranian immigrant who's been in this country for 50 years, and all he could talk about is how much he loves America, how he has five American kids, and that we should all appreciate the opportunity and the privilege that comes with being an American. I was already fired up. That got me lots more fired up.”
Jeff DeJon held a poster showing pictures of his grandfather, his father and son in uniform.
“I’m here to say that I don't accept Trump," he explained. "I don't accept his Cabinet. I don't accept his [Department of Justice], I don't accept his Department of Defense [or its] leadership. I think that's it in a nutshell.”
David Adame said he worried where the nation might be headed.
“I did live in Mexico for a few years, even in South America as well," he said. "I saw what fascism looks like. You know, I grew up in some of those areas. I know what it looks like. This feels like it. It's actually scary.”
Adame and a friend brought a wagon full of iced water and Gatorade to give to their thirsty fellow protesters.
'You never know'
After the music and the speeches, hundreds of participants — some carrying infants, others walking with canes — marched down the street.
Some held signs that read "No Kings," "Abolish ICE now," and "Love Wins, ICE melts." Others stood on the sidewalks and cheered as the marchers filed past them, headed toward Alamo Plaza.
Lead organizer Alex Svehla said his organization 5051 deployed "peacekeepers" — trained volunteers — throughout the crowd. "They're the first line of defense in terms of spotting anyone that is suspicious or responding to anybody that might have brought a weapon or just calming down someone that does eventually agitate the crowd in some way," he explained.
But despite the expectations and preparations, at least one business on Houston Street had boarded up its windows.
Workers at the Cookie Plug set up some plywood protection.
“Just in case. You never know...just taking a precaution because you never really know," said one of the people helping.
Their windows were smashed in 2020 during the George Floyd protest. But the store remained open on Saturday night until midnight.
Earlier in the day, members of Texas Freedom Force, whose members clashed with George Floyd protesters in 2020, were seen standing near the Alamo where access was limited.
The deployment
Gov. Abbott pointed to those protests and the planned Saturday event as reasons for his deployment of the Texas National Guard to San Antonio and other Texas cities.
The governor said the aim was to help local authorities keep order, but San Antonio officials say Abbott did not coordinate with local officials on the deployment.
On Friday, the Austin American-Statesman obtained a memo revealing that the Guard scrambled to find and train enough personnel to fulfill the deployment before the protests began.
The memo also noted that Abbott also had to pull about 2,500 troops from the Operation Lone Star border mission for the protest deployment. Abbott's office did not respond to a request for comment.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said his department's priority was protecting the protesters' constitutional rights.
Thank you, San Antonio, for peacefully assembling to demonstrate your righteous frustration with a federal administration that continues to ignore the fact that this nation is a democracy.
— Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) June 15, 2025
We showed the very best of our community today.
