CENTRAL VALLEY, Calif. – Thousands of people turned out Saturday, June 14, as part of so-called “No Kings Day” protests. The nationwide demonstrations, which remained largely peaceful, coincided with other big events unfolding in Washington, D.C.
President Trump celebrated his 79th birthday and the first military parade in the nation's capitol in decades took place to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.
The “No Kings Day” protests are a new type of demonstration to resist actions from the second Trump presidency and harken back to the “resistance” movement from his first term. The protests held Saturday largely called out threats to democratic norms by the administration.
But in California's Central Valley, as in other parts of the country, the protests came amid a cloud of fear and concern over immigration enforcement actions in communities in recent weeks.
At protests in the Valley, that was fresh on the minds of those who showed up, and some told KVPR that the administration’s deportation campaign is hurting their communities.
This comes as people are detained at immigration offices and courthouses, workplaces and in the streets by immigration agents. Fears of immigration sweeps in the Valley were rampant in recent days, though ICE officials routinely decline to say where they will conduct enforcement.
Below are photos and comments from some protesters who shared why they took part in the “No Kings Day” movement.
Bakersfield, Calif. Reporting by Joshua Yeager
“We’re out here fighting for our country. For our democratic values. For our constitution.”
– Emilio Huerta
“I’m a teacher and my sign says ‘stop terrorizing my students.’ Students should not be living in fear. They’re supposed to be able to come to school and feel safe, and learn and grow and have fun.”
– Belen Carrasco
“I work with a lot of contractors and all of them are very scared. Reasonably so. And they’ve told me about what they’ve seen. Especially around Home Depots and car washes. People are scared to go to work. We’re not supposed to live that way.”
– Kyle
Merced, Calif. Reporting by Rachel Livinal
“A lot of the community I grew up with is being attacked. A lot of people who are hard workers just come here to give us a better life. I think about my family and my grandma who sacrificed so much to be here, and get here, and my mom who sacrificed as well. I just wanted to give back to my community in some way.”
– Alicia Rivera
“This is not a monarchy. This is not an oligarchy. This is democracy. This is a republic. It needs to be portrayed that way. That person that’s leading the country needs to behave in that way and he’s not. He’s behaving like a king. We’re here to remind him, this is not a kingdom. He’s not a king.”
– Ashley Marie Suarez
Fresno, Calif. Reporting by Samantha Rangel
“We’re here to make our voices heard. To really make aware that we’re not meant to be under dictatorship.”
– Daysha Zuniga
“I am a teacher and it’s really important to me to make sure that I’m out here supporting my students and their families. I have students and families of immigrants, LGBTQ families and students. I just wanted to do my part to support.”
– Lauren
