Ricardo Reyes, of Vets Against Trump, tells the crowd gathered Feb. 5, 2025 for the 50501 protest at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix how disappointed he is in U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego for bowing down to Trump and supporting the Laken Riley Act. Photo by Caitlin Sievers | Arizona Mirror
Hundreds of Arizonans — among them young members of the queer community, Army veterans and senior citizens — assembled at the state Capitol in Phoenix on Wednesday to protest President Donald Trump’s overreach and his implementation of Project 2025.
They came draped in flags — Mexican, Palestinian and LGBTQ pride — carrying signs that read “Power to the People”, “Deport Elon Musk” and “The most dangerous minority is the rich.”
Protesters called for an end to Project 2025, for the rights of immigrants and transgender people to be respected and for unelected billionaire Elon Musk to be stopped before he completely dismantles the federal government.
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Chris Hill, a 20-year Army veteran with three kids, told the Arizona Mirror that he joined the protest out of concern for the health of democracy in the U.S. and to defend the Constitution that he swore to protect and uphold.
“I think it’s not an overstatement to say that our country is in crisis and it’s up to the people to come out and take back over,” he said.
Sabrina Taylor, of Phoenix, told the Mirror that they joined the protest to support the queer community, as a nonbinary person whose partner is transgender, and to show solidarity with immigrants.
“If you don’t say anything, if you don’t do anything about it, no change is going to happen,” Taylor said. “Having to hide who you love and who you are, it’s not fun, and we shouldn’t have to go back to that space.”
The protest in Phoenix was one of 50 planned across the country on Wednesday through a grassroots effort called 50501 — a reference to 50 protests in 50 states on one day — in response to “anti-democratic, destructive, and, in many cases, illegal actions being undertaken by the Trump administration,” according to a Bluesky post from the group.
“What I hope we see today with 50 demonstrations in 50 capitals is that we the people make our opinion known that democracy matters and that we’re going to not let it be run over,” Hill said.
The movement in Phoenix, like the national call to action, was disorganized, and had no clear leader. But it still drew around 400 people to the Capitol grounds, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The protest remained peaceful, under the watch of state troopers, but protesters were told to move across the street from the Capitol because they didn’t have permission to use a megaphone in the courtyard near the legislative buildings.
Fanny Robles, a Mexican immigrant who lives in Phoenix, said she came to voice her opposition to deportation practices that separate families and scare the community.
Robles, who owns a small DJ company, said she was worried about the economic impact of the fear of harassment, detainment and deportation within the Mexican community, regardless of immigration status.
Diane Klein of Mesa said she was there to protest Trump’s violation of the separation of powers between his office and Congress. Klein said she was concerned that the dismantling of U.S. foreign aid organizations will lead to deaths.
“They’ve got to get control of what Musk is doing,” she said. “He’s just running rampant through our government. We can’t sit by while the oligarchs take over our country.”
Calls of “F*ck Trump” and “Deport Musk” echoed across the Capitol grounds as protestors marched around the Executive Tower that holds the office of Gov. Katie Hobbs, as well as the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives buildings.
Ricardo Reyes, a veteran who supported Democratic U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego’s campaign, urged the crowd to put pressure on Gallego and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly to rein in Trump and Musk.
“Our organization was behind Gallego,” Reyes said. “We were up there. My face was in the freaking commercial. And then, the first thing he did was vote for the Laken Riley Act. That’s a stab in the back. We don’t idolize politicians. We hold them accountable.”
The legislation, which was signed into law on Jan. 29, requires federal officials to detain immigrants, including asylum seekers and DACA recipients, for non-violent crimes like shoplifting — even before they’ve been proven guilty.
Coni Beyer, who began her day with other protesters at Gallego’s Phoenix office, also said she was disappointed that Gallego isn’t doing enough to stand up to Trump.
“Your only job now is to do everything you can to save this country,” she said of Gallego. “We can’t have this. I had to come down here and let him know how I feel.”
Derek Duba, another Army veteran, said he came to protest because he knows that silence can be taken as complicity.
“I personally believe that it’s very important that we’re showing up for these communities that are under attack,” he said. “Standing up for other people, standing up for our simple liberties, standing up for rights, is a huge part of my personal values.”
Duba said he hopes that Wednesday’s protest is just the beginning of protests and organizing that will lead to change in Congress in 2026.
“If you feel frustrated, don’t stay frustrated on the internet,” Duba said. “Get out and do something, meet people, talk to people, get involved in a campaign.”
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