Protesters use CWS as backdrop to decry Trump immigration policies, raids
A parade of protesters lined multiple blocks of downtown Omaha Friday evening to protest this week's ICE raid that led to nearly 80 workers being detained, including some suspected of using stolen IDs to gain employment. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — Using Nebraska's crown jewel of tourism as a backdrop, several hundred protesters marched amid College World Series fans Friday night — chanting and carrying signs criticizing the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
The demonstration in downtown Omaha was sparked by organizers including Juan Elizondo, in the wake of Tuesday's high-profile worksite enforcement raid on a food plant in Omaha that led to the detention of nearly 80 workers.
'We hope to gain attention to our despair,' Elizondo, 32, said of the protest on opening day of the nationally televised NCAA men's baseball tournament. 'All of us know somebody affected. They are people of the community. We are the product of our community, and we feel it's our duty to step up and have our voices heard.'
On the heels of Friday's protest is another planned midday Saturday across the Missouri River, at Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park in Council Bluffs. That rally, separately organized, brings together Omaha and Bluffs residents to join the national 'No Kings' protests calling out what organizers describe as authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration.
Organizers behind the 'No Kings' protests have branded Saturday as a 'day of defiance.' According to their website, 13 protests are planned throughout Nebraska, including in Lincoln.
'Our nation is our combined effort,' said Kevin Gibbs, chair of Indivisible Nebraska. 'No one person owns it. … We Nebraskans and Iowans take this opportunity to stand in this moment together and defend America's shared vision against those who would cut it down to serve themselves.'
Gov. Jim Pillen, a public supporter of the president's actions, on Friday issued an emergency proclamation that activated the Nebraska National Guard and prepared state law enforcement resources for immediate deployment, if needed.
Friday's immigration enforcement-related demonstration in downtown Omaha — which played out largely on the corridor between the CHI Health Center and Charles Schwab Field, where CWS teams play — appeared peaceful. Elizondo estimated that more than 1,000 people participated.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led the Tuesday raid, announced that it had arrested four protesters on Thursday for 'aggressive' actions during and immediately after the raid at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha.
ICE officials said the agency targeted Glenn Valley because of suspected use of stolen or fraudulent identification by workers to gain employment — and described 'victims' of the situation as those whose personal information was fraudulently used or stolen.
Demonstrators at the Friday anti-ICE march had a different message. They held placards with messages such as 'Decriminalize Immigration,' 'ICE is bitter cold,' 'Keep Families Together,' 'Hands off our community' and 'Irony: a 34-count felon calling immigrants criminals.'
Among those protesting were Stephanie Campos, Gustavo Campos and Antonio Mendoza of the Omaha area. They said they were surprised but glad to see the large number of supporters who gathered first at a riverfront volleyball court and walked several blocks to the CWS area, which was bustling with activity.
'It's good to see all the different ethnicities come together,' said Mendoza, 25. 'Whatever background we come from, we know right from wrong.'
Gustavo Campos, 21, hoped protests nationally against immigration tactics will make a difference. But he said that in any case, he wanted to show support 'for families, my community.'
Said Mendoza, 25: 'Just to be heard and seen is huge — showing up.'
The Trump administration seemed to acknowledge some of the public pushback nationally and perhaps industry-level pushback from farmers, meatpackers and food processors with new guidance this week largely pausing immigration raids and arrests in the agriculture and hospitality industries, according to a Friday report in the New York Times.
The heartland protests coincide with larger, mostly peaceful but tenser demonstrations in Los Angeles as a result of recent ICE raids there.
The Trump administration and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have been butting heads as the president deployed 4,000 California National Guard and 700 Marines to the second-largest U.S. city in response to the protests — but without permission from the state's Democratic governor.
Newsom responded by accusing Trump of choosing 'theatrics over public safety' and escalating the 'chaos.' The California governor sued the Trump administration over the federalization and deployment of the National Guard.
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and 18 other Republican attorneys general joined a legal brief in support of Trump's deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump has the 'authority' to do so.
'We stand with law enforcement, we support President Trump's action, and we will not let chaos take hold in our states,' Hilgers said in a joint statement.
The events in Los Angeles have sparked similar protests in Texas, New York, Illinois and other parts of the country. More protests are planned this weekend as Trump plans a military parade to celebrate the Army's anniversary in Washington D.C. this Saturday.
Omaha Mayor John Ewing, a Democrat who took office earlier this week after unseating three-term Republican Mayor Jean Stothert, said the city is thankful for 'how peacefully' protesters in Omaha so far have handled the ICE raid.
He said acts of violence or vandalism will not be tolerated and 'frankly hurt any message protesters want to give.'
'Omaha Police have plans in place to let peaceful protests occur without obstruction to the game,' he said.
Rally-goers hold signs that many made themselves. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
A parade of protesters lined multiple blocks of downtown Omaha Friday night to protest this week's ICE raid that led to detention of nearly 80 workers at an Omaha food plant. ICE says the plant was targeted because of workers suspected of using fraudulent or stolen IDs to gain jobs. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Protesters came from a variety of races, ages. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Protesters carried signs and chanted for hours. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
A group of protesters gathered Friday night near the College World Series. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
The Friday night protests drew people with homemade signs. (CIndy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
A parade of protesters lined multiple blocks of downtown Omaha Friday night to protest this week's ICE raid that led to nearly 80 arrests of workers at an Omaha food plant, at least some of who are accused of using stolen IDs to gain employment. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Supporters handed out water bottles to rally-goers on the hot Friday night that opened the CWS. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Friday night protest of Trump immigration policies. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
A look at Friday's anti-ICE rally in Omaha. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
19 minutes ago
- New York Post
Minnesota gunman sought in deadly shootings of lawmaker, her husband identified as former appointee of Tim Walz: sources
A former appointee of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is being sought in connection with the assassination of a state lawmaker and the shooting of another, police sources said. Vance Luther Boelter allegedly posed as a police officer when he shot Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their Champlin home early Saturday, leaving them seriously injured before moving on to former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman's house — where he is believed to have slaughtered her and her husband, sources told The Post. 3 Vance Luther Boelter Jenny Boeltner/Facebook 3 Vance Luther Boelter Vance Boeltner/Facebook Boelter, 57, was appointed by Walz in 2019 to serve a four year stint on the Governor's Workforce Development Board, documents show. He previously served on the Governor's Workforce Development Council in 2016 under then -Gov. Mark Dayton. 3 Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. Melissa Hortman/Facebook The killer had fliers with the words 'No Kings' in his car, a reference to Saturday's planned protests against the Trump Administration, as well as a 'manifesto' and a list of other politicians' names, said police, who briefly cornered the shooter at Hortman's home before the suspect fled.
CNN
22 minutes ago
- CNN
In pictures: The nationwide ‘No Kings' protests
More than 2,000 protests are scheduled across all 50 states Saturday through the No Kings movement, which organizers say seeks to reject 'authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.' The mobilization is a direct response to a military parade rolling through Washington, DC, on Saturday that celebrates the 250th anniversary of the US Army. It also coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Saturday's rallies have been amplified by a week of protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles and other major cities. Following the Hands Off! and 50501 protests this spring, Saturday's demonstrations aren't the first nationwide rejection of Trump's policies. But organizers expect them to be the largest. Millions of Americans are expected to take part.
Politico
22 minutes ago
- Politico
The Resistance 2.0 arrives with nationwide ‘No Kings' protests
As President Donald Trump's military parade rolls through the nation's capital on Saturday, millions of Americans across the country are taking part in the largest coordinated protests against the president since the start of his second administration. But while Trump's parade aims to show America's military prowess in its new era — remade under the administration's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion policies — over 2,000 protests planned for major cities and small towns across the country are expected to outdo the president's parade in scale. The demonstrations, organized by an extensive list of progressive organizations including the ACLU, Indivisible and the Service Employees International Union, are dubbed 'No Kings' protests, aiming to highlight Americans' resistance to the Trump administration. 'No Kings is really about standing up for democracy, standing up for people's rights and liberties in this country and against the gross abuse of power that we've seen consistently from the Trump administration,' ACLU's chief political and advocacy officer Deirdre Schifeling said in an interview earlier this military parade and the nationwide counterprotest come at a time of heightened political tensions across the country. In the last week alone, Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles over the objection of state and local officials amid protests — and some unrest — over the president's extensive deportation agenda; Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was manhandled and briefly handcuffed at a press conference for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and two Minnesota state lawmakers were shot, and one killed, early Saturday in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz described it as a politically motivated assination. Over 100 of the protests were planned by volunteers in the past week alone, organizers said, popping up in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on anti-immigration detention protesters in California. 'The Trump administration's goal was to scare people, to make them afraid to stand up for their rights and afraid to protest and stand up for their immigrant neighbors. And it's backfired spectacularly,' Schifeling said. But Saturday's early morning shooting in Minnesota is already weighing on the events. A spokesperson to one prominent battleground Democratic Senate candidate with plans to participate in the demonstrations, granted anonymity to discuss security procedures, said that they are taking extra precautions after the attack in Minnesota. Walz recommended that people not attend events in the state in the aftermath of the killings. 'Out of an abundance of caution my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended,' he wrote on social media. But organizers elsewhere said the events will go on. Diane Morgan, a Cleveland-based mobilization coordinator with Our Revolution, said that in the wake of the shooting she's hearing from people on the ground who are saying that 'more than anything else, it makes people more determined, much like what happened with L.A.,' to attend a protest Saturday. Democratic governors in several states — including North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs — released statements on the eve of the planned demonstrations, emphasizing the right to peacefully protest but urging Americans taking to the streets to remain peaceful. 'The right to peacefully protest is sacred and enshrined in our First Amendment, and I will always work to protect that right,' Stein said. 'I urge everyone who wishes to be heard to do so peacefully and lawfully.' While No Kings demonstrations are planned across the nation in what organizers expect to be 'the largest single day of protest in recent American history,' no protests are slated to take place in Washington itself. 'Rather than give him the excuse to crack down on peaceful counterprotests in downtown D.C., or give him the narrative device to claim that we're protesting the military, we said, okay, you can have downtown D.C.,' Ezra Levin, the co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, said. 'Instead, we should organize it everywhere else.' The military parade — which is set to mark the army's 250th anniversary, but also happens to fall on Trump's 79th birthday — will include over 6,000 marching soldiers, battle tanks and other military vehicles, as well as military aircraft accompanying the procession overhead. Army estimates place the cost of the festivities somewhere between $25 and $45 million, an expense that 60 percent of Americans say is not a good use of funds. But Saturday's festivities may yet face obstacles, with thunderstorms predicted to hit the city in the evening. But Trump is unfazed. 'OUR GREAT MILITARY PARADE IS ON, RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, A RAINY DAY PARADE BRINGS GOOD LUCK. I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN D.C.,' the president wrote in a post on Truth Social Saturday morning. Trump has maintained, in the face of the No Kings protests, that he does not view himself as a monarch. 'No, no. We're not a king,' Trump said at the White House on Thursday. 'We're not a king at all, thank you very much.' Schifeling said she finds Trump's objections 'laughable.' 'This is a person who violates the law at every turn, and is doing everything in his power to intimidate and crush — using the vast power of the presidency and also power that he doesn't even have — to crush anybody that he perceives as disagreeing with him or as his enemies. Those are the actions of a king,' she said. Adam Wren contributed to this report.
