NEW YORK — "ICE out of New York!" was the rallying cry echoed by thousands of protesters near the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office and throughout the streets of Manhattan on Tuesday night. This demonstration was part of a series of nationwide rallies aimed at opposing President Trump's controversial immigration sweeps and the recent deployment of the U.S. military in California.
Among the protesters was 19-year-old Jeanet, who spoke to NPR about her motivations for attending the rally. "There are many voices in my community that can't be here today out of fear of what the administration is doing, so I want to be here for them," she said, requesting that her last name remain confidential due to safety concerns. Jeanet expressed her desire to join the military, which further fueled her decision to participate in the protest. "I feel like it's more important for me, as somebody who is going to be part of the government, to voice my opinion and show that there can be people that are for the U.S., but still against what this administration is doing today," she added.
Protests were not limited to New York City; demonstrators also gathered in cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and Dallas, among others. The Trump administration has pledged to apprehend 3,000 migrants daily, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to conduct immigration raids across the nation. These raids have taken place in locations as varied as a parking lot at a Los Angeles Home Depot, a Dominican neighborhood in Puerto Rico, and a meatpacking plant in Nebraska.
The protest in New York City remained peaceful, contrasting sharply with the events in Los Angeles, where clashes erupted between police and protesters over the weekend due to federal immigration raids. While the New York Police Department has yet to release details on the number of arrests made, NPR reporters observed at least half a dozen individuals being taken into custody.
Paula Lopez, 66, shared her personal experience of being arrested by immigration agents in a New York factory back in 1980. "It hurts me to see families being separated because I lived that," she told NPR in Spanish, emphasizing the importance of the protest. "We come here to work … to progress — it's not fair." Her story is a reminder of the deep emotional scars that immigration policies can inflict on families.
Arfraz, a 43-year-old man from Queens, also reflected on the painful memories of when ICE apprehended a family member decades ago. "It was traumatizing," he said. For him, joining the protest was crucial, especially for those in his community who feel too afraid to attend rallies. "They can't necessarily show up to rallies because they might get picked up by ICE, so I think we have to stand up," he stated, also requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
As these protests unfold across the nation, the call for solidarity and action grows louder. Those who are able to stand up against the current immigration policies are seen as having a vital responsibility to advocate for those who are unable to do so. The rally in New York City was not just a protest; it was a declaration of resilience from a community that refuses to be silenced.
