Over 200 protesters lined East University Avenue in front of Bo Diddley Plaza Tuesday evening to rally against the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Community members, bundled in jackets and hats, waved signs reading, “Stop ICE terror now!”
Jan. 20 marks the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration for his second term, sparking nationwide protests and walkouts.
As passing cars honked in support, protesters shouted, “No justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets.”
Organizers — including Gainesville’s chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and UF’s chapter of Students for Socialism — took turns giving short speeches and leading chants.
Dani Gonzales, a 23-year-old UF student and member of Students for Socialism, was the first to lead.
“The United States should not be an empire,” Gonzales chanted into the megaphone. “Our money should go to healthcare, housing, education and food — not war, not occupation and not weapons corporations.”
Tuesday’s demonstration was part of a larger series of protests. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, Students for Socialism and 50501 GNV traveled to the Baker County Detention Center on Sunday.
The groups are also advocating for a strike in Gainesville this Friday, similar to a general strike that will be occurring in Minneapolis, honoring Renée Good, who was shot and killed by ICE.
Hunter Wesley, a 28-year-old member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said he believes no one should have to live in fear of police harassment. He also criticized UF’s decision to sign a 287(g) agreement, which allows UF Police Department officers to act as ICE agents.
“What we're showing here today is that actually, the power is with people,” Wesley said. “The power is with organization, and the power is with numbers.”
Quinton Cooper, a 29-year-old member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said Tuesday’s protest comes amid a particularly fearful time for immigrants across the country. The New York Times reported that in the past year, “at-large” arrests or apprehensions of immigrants on the streets, in courthouses, homes or business has risen to about 150,000.
Gathering in solidarity is a way the working class can make a difference in their communities, he added.
”[We’re] ultimately fighting for the liberation, the justice, the rights for immigrants, who are the people who make our roads, who make our homes, who make our community strong and better,” Cooper said.
People of all ages came out to show their support, including kids holding signs with their parents.
Carol Kiely, a 68-year-old Gainesville resident, found out about the protest through Facebook. Her fear for others spurred her to come, she said. As a white woman, she doesn’t feel targeted by ICE, but she said she feels for her fellow community members and wants to show her support.
“ I just hope people will open their eyes and see how serious this really is,” Kiely said.
Because the protest took place only a day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, protesters honored the activist with signs and dedicated speeches, highlighting how his legacy lives on in the community.
Marilyn Wende, a 32-year-old Gainesville resident and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said she looks to King for inspiration in her own activism.
“ We're here to follow his legacy and commit to fighting against the three evils he identified, which were racism, war and poverty,” Wende said.
One community member brought a bongo drum and gave the chants a song-like rhythm as the demonstration went on. The protest lasted about an hour, and participants chanted until the very end.
“What we want is melted ICE,” they shouted in unison.
Contact Kaitlyn McCormack at kmccormack@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaitmccormack20.
