Hundreds of demonstrators rallied at Edgemere Linear Park near a busy intersection in central El Paso. People of all ages chanted and waved signs as cars honked their horns in support.
Ramiro Gonzalez made a sign that said “No Kings. No Felons” He’s worried about what he sees as the rise of an authoritarian president. “It’s our last chance as citizens of a free country to show our commitment to our laws,” Gonzalez said.
The Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown motivated many to attend “No Kings Day” rallies across the country on Saturday. The nationally-coordinated protests, 60 in Texas alone, were aimed at pushing back against what organizers characterize as authoritarian and anti-democratic actions and the Trump administrations mass deportations.
Four generations of Margo Lepe's family turned out despite the triple digit heat. Lepe was there with her 7 and 9 year-old year old children, their grandmother and great-grandmother, Maria Teresa 93, Romero.
“We’re here to stand in solidarity and support those who do not have a voice” Lepe said.
The Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown motivated many to attend “No Kings Day” rallies across the country. The nationally-coordinated protests were aimed at pushing back against what organizers characterize as the president's authoritarian and anti-democratic ambitions.
Zulelma Torres wore a cap and gown to the El Paso protest to honor her family's immigrant roots. “My parents came here to give us the opportunity for a better life. Now I have a master’s degree in speech language pathology,” she said. “We’re educated. We come here to triumfar.” That's triumph in English.
Michael Cooper, 31, is concerned about the impact of mass deportations in El Paso. “If there’s any one community in this country that’s heavily affected by this, it’s El Paso and the number of people who live here and may not be here the “right way” but still contribute to our society in ways that other people don’t,” he said.
Several veterans at the protest said they oppose the president deploying the military in Los Angeles after crowds protested large ICE raids in the region “Troops don’t belong on U.S. soil. There’s no emergency happening,” Navy veteran Jorge Juarez said.
Trump ordered 700 U.S. Marines to the city, adding to the thousands of National Guard troops already stationed there, following a wave of demonstrations.
“That’s a slap in the face to all veterans, prisoners of war, all the fallen and current military,” Juarez said.
Lorena Ayala served abroad and said she does not want troops in an enforcement role here at home. "The military is trained to protect us overseas against overseas threats not in our own country with our own citizens"
She's concerned the large scale ICE raids that sparked protests in Los Angeles could be carried out nationwide and impact places like El Paso. "It worries me they could do it with the big cities. What could they do with smaller cities?," she asked.
Around noon, police said protesters flagged them down to report a man had allegedly pointed a gun at the crowd. Officers took the armed suspect into custody, but did not immediately release details about possible charges.
