Protesters rally at the Arizona Capitol on Feb. 4, 2025, as part of the “Day without immigrants” protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, including mass deportations. Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez | Arizona Mirror
Critics of the White House’s hostile immigration policies took over the Arizona Capitol on Monday as part of a national day of protest, the latest in a series of public demonstrations that have erupted across the Valley to oppose President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan.
Over a hundred Phoenix residents filled the courtyard of the state Legislature for more than two hours, waving Mexican flags and signs that read “We speak for those who can’t” and “Immigrants make America great.” Chants, alternating between English and Spanish, of “No ICE!,” “No more Trump!” and “We’re here and we’re not leaving!” echoed across the plaza as protestors marched in repeated circuits between the legislative buildings and around the nearby lawns.
The gathering followed several large demonstrations over the past week, including one that closed down several streets in midtown Phoenix Friday night and another in Glendale on Sunday that ended with police using tear gas on protesters.
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Protests have also spread across the country in response to Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities. The Republican’s first week in office saw over 3,500 ICE arrests and multiple executive actions intended to erase birthright citizenship, drastically increase deportations and cut off asylum access.
Monday was the national “Day without immigrants” protest, when immigrants and allies vowed to skip work or school and not spend money. The call to action kicked off marches in several cities, and attendees of Phoenix’s protest said they showed up to advocate for those who couldn’t be there for their own safety.
Teenagers Keyla Parra and Isabel Miñon are both daughters of mixed status families. Parra’s dad works cleaning houses, which requires him to be away from home daily. Amid the recently increased rate of ICE arrests, Parra said she’s been constantly worried about the possibility of him being detained.
“He goes to work everyday in the morning, and I’ve been really scared,” she said.
Miñon, whose father is also undocumented, said she joined the protest on his behalf, as well as to advocate for the rest of the country’s more than 11 million people without legal status who have become the Trump administration’s top target.
“I’m here to speak for those who can’t,” she said.
Haylee Rickard, 19, and her two little cousins, 11-year-old Javier and 14-year-old Jayden, have dealt with the pain of deportation firsthand. Javier and Jayden’s mom was expelled from the country four years ago, and while they have hope she can return someday, she said it’s still painful for them to see her only rarely, during holidays and summer vacations.
“It’s one of those things that, if you have experienced, you don’t want anybody else to ever go through, because it’s heart wrenching and it tears families apart,” Rickard said.
Javier, who wrote “Focus on school shootings NOT Ice raidings” on his cardboard sign, said that he was inspired by the number of people who showed up to the protest, and said he agreed to join it with Rickard because he felt it was important to speak out for those who are unable to.
“We do it because we have a chance to do it. Some people might not have it because of their circumstances,” he said. “It’s good to come out here to show that anyone, even the little ones, can put their opinions and minds out there in the world.”
Susana Rubio, a naturalized citizen who was born in Mexico, said she’s afraid of the potential of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies scooping up people with legal status. Civil liberty organizations have sounded the alarm over the broadening of the immigration enforcement zone, which they say is likely to increase racial profiling. In at least one incident, ICE officials arrested a Puerto Rican man during a raid in New Jersey, and several Native Americans in Arizona and elsewhere have reported being detained and interrogated by immigration officers.
“Many of us are not criminals,” Rubio said. “We’re here to work legally and (are) doing everything we’re supposed to do. But I feel like they treat all Mexicans like they’re criminals, and that’s not right.”
Trump’s executive order opening up schools, churches and hospitals to ICE agents was particularly concerning to Eliseo Miguel, who is studying to be a nurse. The 21-year-old’s sign read “Nurses are held to the highest level of care — what about the President?” in bright, cursive lettering. Miguel pointed out that patients have a right to privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and said that hospitals should be safe from ICE officials for immigrants to feel comfortable requesting medical help.
While HIPPA doesn’t include a person’s immigration status in the list of protected patient information, critics of Trump’s order have noted that health care professionals aren’t legally bound to reveal or ask about that information, either.
Miguel said he was protesting on Monday as a medical professional concerned about the impact of anti-immigrant policies on access to health care and as the son of a mother who is working on becoming a citizen. He said he worries for her safety under Trump’s presidency.
“The possibility of losing your parents is scary,” he said.
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