A large number of people gathered near the White House on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s agenda, building on a widespread effort by anti-Trump organizers to galvanize voters concerned with the administration’s policies and significant use of executive authority.
Attendees of the protest, which took place at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., told NBC News that the treatment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration says was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, was among the issues that led them to participate in the demonstration.
“Everyone should have due process. No one should be just taken away and locked up. I don’t care if he is a murderer, he still should get due process,” protester Susie Stern of Ohio said. “That’s what this country is based on. Laws.”
The White House alleges that Abrego Garcia is a gang member, and the administration has said that if he re-enters the country he will be deported again. Court records indicate that Abrego Garcia has never been criminally charged in the U.S. or El Salvador, and his wife and lawyers deny he is a gang member.
Other protesters took issue with what they described as the administration’s disregard for federal court rulings, including a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court ordering Trump to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States.
“What’s happening is very concerning as far as due process of law and how democracy is supposed to work,” first-time protester Samantha Echols of Silver Spring, Maryland, told NBC News. “You shouldn’t just be able to decide what the laws are, to disappear people, to punish people for disagreeing with you. That’s things that dictators do, and I don’t want to see our country to slide in that direction.”
Concerns over Abrego Garcia's case were at the center of a similar protest in midtown New York, where thousands of people gathered in front of the New York Public Library to protest Trump's immigration policies, according to NBC New York. One protester said the policies are creating a chilling effect throughout the city.
“People are scared to go to church. People are scared to go to work. People are scared to take their kids to school," said Amanda Harvey, a resident of Brooklyn.
Two different demonstrations in Georgia, including a protest in front of the State Capitol in Atlanta on Saturday, drew scores of protesters, according to NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta. Attendees listed a litany of reasons for the demonstrations, including efforts by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Trump to reshape the government.
“They’re attacking DEI, doing this witch hunt. They’re firing many federal workers and trying to gut all the social programs that we need, like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security,” a protester at the Capitol told WXIA. “Every day it’s something new.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the demonstrations.
The nationwide protests are a part of an effort that began earlier this month with a series of “Hands Off” demonstrations across the country.
The events are coordinated by 50501. Organizers describe the movement as a diverse group of Americans “who stand for democracy, and who stand against the authoritarian actions of the Trump Administration.”
The name 50501 refers to the group’s goal of 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement.
According to a list published online by the group, Saturday’s day of action saw nearly 700 events nationwide, from a “Potluck & Protest” event in Kanab, Utah, to a “Tesla Takedown” protest in Woodstock, Virginia, to a “Take America Back” rally in Paw Paw, Michigan.
The nationwide protests come as Democrats work to more aggressively counter Trump’s agenda, a top demand for the party’s voters, according to recent polling.
An NBC News poll conducted in March found that nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters said they want congressional Democrats to stick to their positions even if it leads to gridlock, while one-third wanted their leaders to compromise with Trump.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have held a series of “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” stops across the country, including an event last week in Los Angeles that drew more than 30,000 people, according to the senator’s office.
Congressional Democrats in recent months have held dozens of smaller town hall events in a bid to capitalize on the political backlash to Trump’s major cuts to the federal workforce and tariff policy plan.
Regarding Saturday’s protests, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “I believe that public sentiment is everything. And public sentiment is growing against Donald Trump as more Americans face rising costs and less freedom under Donald Trump’s chaotic failed leadership.”
