Denver protest against President Trump, ICE raids draws thousands outside state Capitol

Protesters filled the west lawn of the Colorado State Capitol early Wednesday afternoon as they demonstrated against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and other recent actions.

A growing crowd of thousands that began gathering shortly before noon quickly spilled onto Lincoln Street, fully blocking it. Protesters carried signs criticizing Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the Trump administration’s Project 2025 plan, and anti-immigrant rhetoric generally.

One chant took aim at Trump, while another, in Spanish, said that “a town united will never be defeated.” Signs included, in Spanish, one reading “immigrants are the heart of this country” and another depicting Musk’s recent Nazi-like salute.

The protest — planned before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies carried out immigration raids across metro Denver on Wednesday morning — was part of a nationwide day of action called “50 States, 50 Protests.” As marchers circled the Colorado Capitol, thousands of protesters gathered at state capitols in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana.

As the demonstration unfolded in Denver, parts of the crowd broke off to march along area streets, including up Colfax Avenue in either direction and down Broadway, resulting in Denver police closing certain streets.

Julia Gutierrez, 21, of Denver, held a sign in Spanish that translated to “My family are not criminals. The criminal is in the White House.” She didn’t know about the local ICE raids this morning, but a general fear of them sweeping the country drew her to the protest.

“I came out today to fight for the rights of my people,” she said. “I’m proud to be Mexican and I’m here to stand up for those who can’t be here today.”

She has family members who are immigrants, and they didn’t come to the country to cause any damage — only to better their lives and their family’s lives, she said.

Mexican flags predominated in the crowd, but American, Palestinian, Honduran and Venezuelan flags were present, too. One woman burned incense. Before police shut the street down, passing cars and cement trucks honked in support and stopped on the side of the street.

Shortly after noon, as speakers began talking on the steps of the Colorado Capitol, the crowd in the street began marching up Lincoln before turning up the hill onto East Colfax Avenue. They circled the building before returning to the main body of the protest near the Capitol’s west steps, where prepared speakers delivered remarks and led more chants. Another group held separate chants in the street, and still more protesters continued circling the building.

As he set up a table with bottled water and signs on the Capitol lawn, James Bradek said he was surprised by the size of the crowd. He’d planned to attend the protest even before the immigration raids Wednesday morning, and he hoped the energy in the crowd would carry on and lead to real change.

“People want to fight back,” Bradek said, as he handed water to passing students.

A few hundred yards away, across Lincoln and Broadway, a small group of Denver police officers lingered. A police spokesman said officers had monitored a student march to the Capitol and planned to watch the protest in case any safety issues arise.

“People are upset with how things are going — they need an outlet,” said John Stackhouse, who stood a few feet from the west steps of the Capitol. “I certainly need to be here.”

Jessica Ganjon, 49, a Denver resident, stood with a sign reading “Rage Against Fascism” that another protestor gave her — one she eagerly accepted. Ganjon said she wanted to be around people feeling the same discontent she did about the administration’s actions.

This protest, with its varied causes and occurring as part of a nationwide movement, heartened her.

She attended protests against Trump during his first administration, she said, and let out a sigh at being here again, protesting his second administration.

“I hope that every protest gets bigger and bigger,” Ganjon said. “And I’ll be here.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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