Miguel Marquez, 57, throws his hands in the air while marching alongside roughly 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans on Saturday in downtown St. Louis.
The booming beating of drums, chants and cheers echoed as around 1,000 people took to downtown St. Louis’ streets to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies — including ramping up mass deportations across the country.
“Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here,” one protester called into a bullhorn with another later yelling: “No ICE. No KKK. No racist USA.”
Amanda Cruz, one of the march’s organizers from Granite City, had known she wanted to take action the day Trump was sworn in, sensing that “things would get bad.”
However, some community activists have questioned whether now is the best time for such protests, citing concerns over what they see as an increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the region.
“The protest itself doesn’t do anything. It’s the people that it brings out… who can make a change,” Cruz said. “When people see we’re in numbers like this — that does make change.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Gloria Cruz, 36, of Mehlville, right, and her 13-year-old daughter Isabella, left, wait for a rally to start as roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans on Saturday at Kiener Plaza.
Just two days before the protest, workers at a Mexican restaurant in O’Fallon, Missouri, reported ICE officers had detained three workers from the restaurant, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The individuals were later released when federal agents found none had criminal records.
St. Louis Public Radio reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm details of their enforcement efforts in the St. Louis region. But, the federal agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Despite the heightened fear in the community, Gloria Cruz, 36, of Mehlville, stood side by side with her 13-year-old daughter Isabella, both draped in Mexican flags, at the protest Saturday. Cruz explained she participated in the march to amplify the voices of those unable to attend.
“I work in a Mexican restaurant,” she said. “I have family members that are illegal, unfortunately, because it's hard to get their status.”
Miguel Marquez, 57, echoed similar sentiments as he marched, holding a large banner that read: “Eventually you’ll run out of people to exploit.”
“A lot of people are very scared right now. I am scared too,” he said in Spanish. “But I have to go out despite the fear because we have to defend our rights.”
See more photos from the march and rally:
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans on Saturday in downtown St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Genne Quiche, 27, of St. Ann, chants alongside 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday.“We have to raise our voice because if we don’t, we’ll never be heard,” she said in Spanish. “We’re here because we want to have a better future and support our families.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Ava Diaz, 13, protests President Donald Trump’s immigration policies alongside roughly 1,000 people on Saturday.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in downtown St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Isabel Diaz, of St. Louis’ Carondelet neighborhood, chants as roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans on Saturday in downtown St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Sofia Rodriguez, 19, of Webster Groves, protests President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday. “This is a community and a country that is built off people who wanted to make opportunities for themselves,” she said. “We are a country that is built off diversity.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Andrea Long, 31, of Defiance, center, joins about 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans on Saturday.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
From left: Adriana Guitierrez, 19, Braden Alanis, 18, and Gezel Urbina, 18, all of Breckenridge Hills, chants alongside 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Devin Madden, 32, of St. Ann, joins about 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday. “It’s not right,” he said of the latest federal immigration agency’s actions. “It’s not fair they’re deporting innocent, hardworking people looking for a better life.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Cristina Arias, 32, of Florissant, marches alongside roughly 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Washington Avenue residents peer outside their windows as roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Jasmine Garcia, 25, of St. Charles, marches alongside roughly 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies outside City Hall in downtown St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Washington Avenue patrons throw their firsts in the air as roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Ricardo Gaspariano, 16, of south St. Louis, joins roughly 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday in downtown St. Louis. “I came out for my people. I also have family who doesn’t have proper authorization to be here but they came here to work,” he said in Spanish. “There’s so many people who think Mexican people… come here to mess things up. But in reality, we come here to work for our kids because we didn’t have that in... Latin America.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
The Mexican flag waves as roughly 1,000 people protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday in downtown St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
A chalking calling for the abolishment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near Kiener Plaza on Saturday in downtown St. Louis.
![Ricardo Gaspariano, 16, of south St. Louis, joins roughly 1,000 area residents protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in downtown St. Louis. “I came out for my people. I also have family who doesn’t have proper authorization to be here but they came here to work,” he said. “There’s so many people who think Mexican people […] come here to mess things up. But in realty, we come here to work for our kids because we didn’t have that in Latin America.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/65f5a61/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F98%2F6f%2Fad5368f740c685b83f4ae3c42108%2F020125-bm-march-20.jpg)
