Next Round of Coordinated ‘No Kings’ Rallies Set for July 17

By Duane Stilwell

PHOENIX, Arizona — On Saturday, June 14, U.S. president Donald Trump watched over a military parade in Washington, D.C. The lackluster spectacle was designed to celebrate Trump’s birthday, which coincided with the 250^th anniversary of the U.S. Army, and thus advance the process of establishing one-man rule in the United States.

The same day, over 5 million people took part in “No Kings” rallies and marches across the country. The flagship march in Philadelphia was estimated to have surpassed 100,000 demonstrators. Other large actions included more than 50,000 in New York City, and tens of thousands in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Smaller actions took place in more than 2,100 cities, towns, and rural areas across the United States.

The next round of coordinated No Kings protests has already been set for July 17.

The June 14 rallies registered the growing opposition to intensifying workplace raids by heavily armed federal agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and to the danger that these — and other actions by the White House — pose to due process, civil liberties, and democratic rights.

NEWS ANALYSIS

These protests followed a week-long social explosion in Los Angeles in response to a spike of ICE raids on car washes, restaurants, hotels, Home Depot stores, warehouses, factories and other workplaces that targeted immigrant communities.

These demonstrations built on smaller Hands-Off immigrants protests in April and the May Day rallies on International Workers Day.

A broad coalition of over 200 social and other groups and labor unions organized the No Kings rallies. They included Indivisible, 50501, American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America, American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, Third Act Movement, and MoveOn. Many other trade unions participated in building local events.

In broad terms, protesters condemned not only the ICE raids and deportations, but also Trump’s attacks on democratic rights for pro-Palestinian advocacy at universities and elsewhere, and the White House trade wars and escalating military involvement in conflicts in the Middle East and beyond.

Open provocations by federal government

Los Angeles was engulfed in a social explosion when ICE unleashed workplace raids, beginning on June 6.

What characterized these raids was their military-style execution and the excessive and unwarranted show of force. “According to witnesses, legal observers and advocacy groups, federal agents involved in the operations were heavily armed and dressed in tactical gear, with some wearing camouflage and carrying rifles,” Al Jazeera reported.

The number, size, and persistence of the response to these raids sparked a nationwide conversation. Millions followed on social media videos and comments posted by participants.

In response, the Trump administration made a public spectacle of federalizing the California National Guard and deploying nearly 5,000 guardsmen and 700 active-duty marines, ostensibly to safeguard federal facilities. This was the first time in 60 years that the federal government has deployed a state National Guard without consulting with that state’s governor, sparking an ongoing legal battle.

In addition, Trump issued a memorandum authorizing the federalization and deployment of the National Guard and the deployment of active-duty-armed forces anywhere in the country “at locations where protests against [ICE] functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations.” This deployment of federal forces to perform civilian law enforcement functions is barred by the Posse Comitatus Act unless “expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress.”

Concerted attacks against working people and democratic rights

Anti-ICE protests exploded in L.A. on June 6. On that day, David Huerta, the 58-year-old president of a statewide janitor’s union and of the nearly 750,000-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California, was arrested and roughed up by federal agents. Huerta was outside a Los Angeles garment warehouse where protesters gathered to oppose an immigration raid.

“Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals,” Huerta said in a statement released by SEIU California after he was treated in the hospital for injuries during the arrest. “We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice.”

The SEIU called nationwide rallies on June 9 to demand Huerta’s release and an end to ICE raids. These actions took place in dozens of cities and ranged in size from hundreds to thousands of people.

Workers in the garment industry, restaurants, hotels and hospitality services, hospitals, home care for the elderly, as well as day laborers looking for construction, house cleaning, and other contract jobs at Home Depot stores, have been especially targeted during the raids in LA.

Similar ICE raids in other parts of the country have also resulted in spontaneous opposition by those who have witnessed the heavy-handed methods used by federal agents.

This is, in part, because according to the Pew Research Center, there has been a sharp drop in the number of migrant encounters and apprehensions at the border since Trump took office for his second term and effectively shut down the U.S.-Mexico border. This has made it hard for ICE to match the number of deportations during Biden’s last year in office, when most of those deported were arrested after crossing the border. The government now has to focus on arresting immigrants at worksites and drop its pretense of targeting “criminal aliens.” Many of these workers have been in the country for decades and most have no criminal records.

This is what led White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration policy, and Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to recently demand that ICE step up workplace raids and increase the number of deportations to at least 3,000 a day.

The Project on Government Oversight recently quoted Miller as saying that “The writ of habeas corpus^[1] can be suspended in a time of invasion, so that is an option we’re actively looking at.” The decision, Miller added, “depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus would take the courts out of the equation, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for everyone living in the U.S. to fight against illegal acts by the government.

The arrest of Kilmar Abrego García and his wrongful deportation to El Salvador on March 15, brought the issue of habeas corpus to the fore, unleashing a legal battle that continues to this day. After the Trump administration insisted it was powerless to return him to the U.S., it did so on June 6, as pro-immigrant protests engulfed L.A.

Abrego García is now in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has been arraigned on federal charges of human trafficking, to which he has pled not guilty. The union-led widespread protests in his case played a major role in his return home, where he now has competent legal representation while fighting deportation.

Growing acts of working-class solidarity

The gratuitous cruelty, and capricious and arbitrary deportation policy of the Trump administration have generated widespread opposition.

At Home Depot stores in LA, employees and community members have alerted day laborers that ICE was in the neighborhood, giving them a chance to avoid arrest. After the ICE raid at the West Lake Home Depot, organizers have set up a grassroots solidarity support station to support immigrants in that community. This includes offering undocumented workers services such as grocery shopping and financial aid, so they can stay home to minimize the chances of arrest.

In Phoenix, a group has raised money and organized teams to seek out street vendors who may be vulnerable, buying up their entire stock so they can go home and avoid arrest without enduring financial hardship.

In addition, in many cities, scores of immigrant rights organizations, trade unions, and civil rights groups have joined forces to educate undocumented immigrants about their rights, offer legal advice, and escort immigrants during mandated court appearances.

In Phoenix, there has been a concerted effort to monitor events at the immigration court and pack the building with volunteers every day to support and help those who must appear for immigration hearings. This has made it harder for ICE to arrest people inside the court building. Federal agents have now shifted to stopping vehicles in the perimeter of the court parking lot to make arrests.

This tactic made national news when New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested and roughed up by federal agents at an immigration court on June 17, after he linked arms with an immigrant federal agents were attempting to arrest. Lander was detained for several hours.

As resistance grows to the Trump administration’s many abuses of power, the defense of immigrant workers will be a key rallying point for the labor movement and an important way to safeguard all democratic rights.

Peaceful demonstrations and isolated acts of vandalism

The No Kings protests were by and large peaceful, faced very few counter-demonstrations, and resulted in virtually no arrests.

However, in LA and a few other places, acts of vandalism followed the dispersal of mass, peaceful demonstrators or acts of civil disobedience. Such provocations play into the hands of the Trump administration, which claims it is acting out of its constitutional obligation to defend federal personnel, property, and functions.

One example of these acts of vandalism, which was broadcast widely in the news during the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, was the destruction on June 8 of five Waymo self-driving vehicles, three of which were set on fire.

Acts like these, whether carried out by self-styled ultralefts or anarchists, right-wing provocateurs or undercover cops, undermine public support for immigrant rights and provide the Trump administration with the excuse it needs to use military force to quell civil unrest and paint all protesters as “criminals.”

What is needed are mass protests demanding a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants in the United States, and an end to ICE raids and deportations. As the next round of coordinated No Kings protests approaches on July 17, well-organized defense marshals can ensure such actions are free from provocations, no matter the political colors of would-be vandals.

NOTES

[1] Habeas corpus is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In essence, it is the last line of defense when the government takes away someone’s liberty. It is intended to ensure that anyone imprisoned by federal agents can challenge their arrest and the charges against them in a court of law before the government can proceed with deportation or other punishment.

The article that follows was first published in Spanish in the Cuban daily Trabajadores, the newspaper of the Federation of Cuban Workers, on June 16, 2025. World-Outlook is publishing it for the information of our readers. The headline and text below are taken from the original.

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Millions March across U.S. Against Deportations and ICE Raids. In Defense of Free Speech and Assembly, Against Trump.

By Mark Friedman

“What we feel like in this moment is really important for folks to understand he (Trump) may have his fascist theatrics in D.C., but real power comes from people everywhere…. And so, that’s why we called for the No Kings protests. We’ve got over 1,900 protests now all over the country (actual number was over 2100 – MF). We are seeing a skyrocketing number of people who are showing up, who are asking, ‘What can I do?’ who are horrified by what is happening in L.A. and who want to stand up. And what we’re going to show him on June 14th is that real power lies in the people, lies in the consent of the governed, not in a pageant for your birthday in Washington, D.C.” Leah Greenberg, national organizer for Indivisible, one of the many organizations that co-sponsored the June 14 protests, told Democracy Now on June 13.

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of organizations nationally joined in the protests from small cities to large, including a significant number of unions and U.S. war veterans, civil liberties, and community organizations. Total estimates are up to 5 million participants. Cuba solidarity activists participated in many protests nationwide, often with flyers and tables. Some of those reporting include:

Barbara Mutnick of the NY-NJ Cuba Si coalition writes: “No Kings Day in Manhattan was huge, estimates of 100,000 to 200,000. Signs focused on immigrant rights and the rule of law. Jason Corley, a Cuba Sí leader, spoke at an informal rally of 1,000 at Madison Square Park about Cuba’s struggle to end the 65-yearlong economic U.S. blockade and other sanctions aimed at bringing the Cuban government to its knees. My favorite sign: ‘Your courage melts ICE!’ Others read ‘ICE out of New York’ in Spanish and English.”

For the Miami Coalition to End the US Blockade of Cuba, Pete Seidman writes that “thousands marched, and our literature table was well received. We distributed hundreds of flyers titled: No Deportations / No Blockades! Defend Our Democratic Right to Protest! Let’s Build Bridges of Love!”

From Chicago, where mass protests took place on May Day for the first time in decades, Julie Wolenski told us, “A team of 8 from Chicago Cuba Coalition joined with the Chicago Puerto Rican Cultural Center, (with a history of solidarity with Cuba), at the 47th annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Tens of thousands marched in downtown and six other rallies in the area.

“We held an anti-blockade banner, carried a Cuban flag and distributed hundreds of leaflets headlined ‘US Sanctions Force Migration’ and ‘Cuba y Puerto Rico son de un pájaro las dos alas’ [Cuba and Puerto Rico are two wings of the same bird]. The flyer’s message: End US sanctions, Cuba off the SSOT [State Sponsors of Terrorism list], no deportations and defend the right to free speech and assembly.”

“Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportations!” was chanted repeatedly by thousands across the nation.

The Los Angeles Hands off Cuba Committee (LAHOC) and Cuba solidarity activists in several cities distributed flyers entitled: “No Deportations! No Sanctions! Defend Our Democratic Right to Protest!”

It said in part, “The Trump administration has used scare tactics, propaganda of fear, intimidation and misinformation to justify its suspension of due process and attacking democratic rights, families, job sites, religious centers…

“The media gives false narratives of ICE raids, like those for decades against Cuba. A 1960 State Department memo details how the blockade, in Cuba’s case, was explicitly designed to deny ‘money and supplies…to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.’

“Washington uses Cubans who come here, as a result of the hardships its own blockade, trade, travel bans, and sanctions have created, as pawns in its political and economic war against Cuba. We won’t let Washington justify its brutal anti-immigrant attacks…

“As developments in LA and other cities make clear, attacks on the rights of immigrants quickly become attacks on the democratic and constitutional rights of everyone! Nobody is spared in their use of cops, national guard and marines attacking working people and youth. Defend Free Speech, Constitutional rights. End the deportations! End the US Blockade of Cuba! End all 243 Sanctions!”

The LAHOC committee distributed more than 1300 flyers, signed up dozens of new supporters for future committee activities and did interviews with local and international media.

Ainsly Rivera, a central leader of the LAHOC, and a participant in several delegations to Cuba, commented afterwards: “The march was a manifestation of the working class’s dissatisfaction with not only the president, but the state itself, and was not only symbolic but a consequence of social discontent.”

Destiny Rivera, another LAHOC activist, recently returned from Cuba as part of the “Labor and Youth Activists” delegation, invited by the Cuban trade union federation (Central de Trabajadores de Cuba). She is an organizer for immigrants’ rights. She staffed the LAHOC table and told this reporter, “Demonstrators are concerned with national, internal problems related to the Trump Administration’s attack on immigrants, the ongoing tariff war currently impacting daily expenses, deployment of the National Guard and Marines to LA and the Trump administration’s path towards fascism.”

Many demonstrators from across California said they were there to support undocumented immigrants who were afraid to be present. In multiple interviews, individuals described protesting as a democratic duty and this was their first protest ever.

After the main rally and march dispersed, a small fraction of the march of 75,000 stayed behind to directly confront the cops and National Guard. This occurred in several cities with dozens arrested for failing to disperse, burning police cars, vandalism, and challenging police.

Violet Martinez, 23, told the LA Times, she was by the federal building when officers on horses charged into the crowd. “They put on their gas masks then began firing tear gas,” Martinez said. She added that some people got trampled by horses and others were hit with rubber bullets. “There was no reason to do that,” Martinez said.

Mark Friedman, a member of the International Association of Machinists, is an activist in LA Hands-Off Cuba Committee.

Web: ushandsoffcubacommittee.com  Email: LA.US.Handsoffcuba@gmail.com Instagram: @ushandsoffcuba

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