What is the NoKings Protest? Across the United States and abroad, a new movement is rising. Branded simply as No Kings, the protest serves as a direct rebuke of growing authoritarian tendencies and abusive immigration practices under the Trump administration. Protesters rally around the idea that America, founded in rebellion against monarchy, should not drift toward concentrated, unchecked executive power.
The protests are peaceful, citizen-driven, and diverse. They reflect a multiracial, multigenerational cross-section of America. Protesters carry homemade signs with bold declarations like “No Kings in America since 1776,” “Dissent Is Patriotism,” and “Stop Disappearing People.” These aren’t just slogans. They are deeply personal statements about an America many feel is slipping away from its core values.
At its heart, the No Kings movement demands accountability, transparency, and a recommitment to the democratic principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. These protests are not confined to a single policy issue but reflect frustration with a broader erosion of rights, particularly regarding immigration enforcement, surveillance, and unchecked federal power.
Beyond immigration, many see the protests as a broader fight against creeping authoritarianism
Why Was It Formed?
The No Kings protests did not emerge overnight. They are the culmination of years of growing tension fueled by aggressive immigration crackdowns, family separations, and authoritarian posturing. The Trump administration’s efforts to reshape immigration policy have often been characterized by sweeping executive orders, volatile rhetoric, and harsh enforcement tactics that have left families shattered and communities living in fear.
Central to the protest’s origins are the images and reports of ICE raids targeting not only undocumented immigrants but also individuals actively participating in the legal immigration process. Arrests outside courthouses, hospitals, and schools have created an environment where following legal channels offers no guarantee of protection. Entire families have been torn apart on sidewalks and in parking lots, generating national outrage and international condemnation.
Beyond immigration, many see the protests as a broader fight against creeping authoritarianism. The consolidation of executive power, public attacks on democratic institutions, and repeated threats against the press have raised alarms about the state of American democracy itself. No Kings is, in many ways, a warning flare, signaling that the country’s political trajectory is dangerously off course.
The 250th Anniversary of the Military
The No Kings protests reached new prominence during the elaborate celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. What might have traditionally been a moment of military honor was widely seen by protesters as a calculated display of nationalist propaganda. The parade, which took place in Washington D.C., carried an estimated price tag of $45–46 million, funded in part through public dollars.
Critics argued that the event prioritized spectacle over substance. While tanks rolled and fighter jets screamed overhead, immigrants continued to sit in detention centers, families waited years for asylum hearings, and the broken immigration system ground forward with little accountability. For many, the parade was not a celebration but a symbol of misplaced priorities, one that sought to obscure real and urgent crises with grandiose visuals.
The parade’s timing only added to the controversy. Scheduled to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day, many viewed it as a carefully orchestrated political stunt rather than a genuine patriotic occasion. The imagery of militarized pageantry, aligned with executive self-congratulation, fed directly into the core themes that the No Kings movement rejects.
Co-opting as a Birthday Celebration
What troubled many observers was the way the administration merged multiple symbolic events, Trump’s birthday, Flag Day, and the military anniversary, into one unified narrative of loyalty and strength. The visuals were unmistakable: heavy military equipment, adoring crowds (or at least, the appearance of them), and endless patriotic fanfare broadcast across state-friendly media.
Yet behind the staged optics was an uncomfortable truth. While the administration sought to display dominance and celebration, millions of Americans were instead choosing to protest these very actions. By framing the celebration as a birthday party for the sitting president, critics argue that the line between state and personal power was blurred in ways deeply unsettling for a democracy.
Government Actions Rooted in Anti-Immigration Sentiment
For many participating in No Kings, the protests are inseparable from years of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy. Immigration raids, travel bans, family separations at the southern border, and the systematic dismantling of legal immigration pathways have deeply impacted millions.
The administration’s framing of immigrants as criminals or threats has been a driving force behind these policies. Terms like “invasion”, once confined to the fringes of political discourse, have become mainstream talking points. The result is not just policy changes but a culture of fear, where communities, even those with legal status, feel under constant threat of detention and deportation.
Project 2025
At the center of these growing concerns is Project 2025, a comprehensive political blueprint developed by far-right policy organizations. The plan envisions massive federal restructuring, giving the president broad unilateral power to replace civil servants with loyalists, dismantle independent agencies, and impose stricter controls on immigration with little congressional oversight.
For critics, Project 2025 represents the clearest roadmap yet toward authoritarian governance. If implemented, it would dramatically alter the balance of power within the federal government, endangering democratic norms that have existed for generations. The No Kings protests view Project 2025 not as hypothetical, but as an imminent threat that must be resisted.
Local Jersey City Impact
Nowhere was the grassroots nature of No Kings more evident than in Jersey City. Long a beacon for immigrant communities, Jersey City became one of hundreds of cities participating in the coordinated protests.
Led by KnittyGrittyJC, a local women-led, pro-democracy organization, the Jersey City protest was held at Grove Street PATH Plaza from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. The event drew support from members of the City Council and activists affiliated with the Workers’ Party (Working Families Party). Despite being a smaller event relative to national totals, attendance estimates suggest a turnout in the low hundreds, a powerful showing for a single urban square in the face of nationwide action.
Turnout Numbers Around the U.S. and the World
The scale of the protests stunned many observers. Across the country, over 5 million people participated in No Kings events spanning 2,000+ locations. Major turnouts included:
- Los Angeles: Approximately 200,000 protesters
- New York City: Nearly 200,000 in Manhattan alone
- Seattle: 70,000
- San Diego: 60,000
- Utah: 10,000 — where protests continued despite an isolated incident of violence later that evening
Beyond U.S. borders, solidarity protests unfolded in Europe, Canada, and South America, reflecting the global significance of America’s democratic crisis. The scale and coordination of the protests rivaled some of the largest mobilizations seen in decades.
Low Turnout at the Military Parade
While millions marched in the streets, the highly promoted U.S. Army 250th anniversary parade in Washington D.C. underwhelmed. Despite significant media hype and heavy security presence, turnout was sparse. Photos circulating on social media showed long rows of empty seats, empty stretches of sidewalks, and unimpressed crowds.
The contrast between the grandeur of the parade and the organic energy of the protests became one of the enduring images of the day.
A Nation Starting to Shift Toward Protecting Immigrants
While immigration remains politically divisive, public sentiment is evolving. Recent polling suggests that a growing majority of Americans support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, protections for DACA recipients, and humane asylum policies. The demonization of immigrants appears to be losing its political potency, even among some centrist voters.
A Broken Immigration System
At the core of the debate lies a system that most agree is broken. The current immigration system is plagued by massive backlogs, arbitrary quotas, and inconsistent enforcement. Families are separated for years. Employers face endless red tape. Asylum seekers wait in limbo for justice that may never arrive.
While politicians have debated immigration reform for decades, little meaningful progress has occurred. For No Kings protesters, this paralysis is not accidental but systemic — an intentional dysfunction that enables harsh enforcement while avoiding true reform.
ICE Using Historically Familiar Tactics
Perhaps most disturbing to protesters are the tactics employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Arrests outside schools, courthouses, hospitals, and workplaces have become alarmingly common. Even individuals who voluntarily check in for scheduled legal appointments have been detained without warning.
These tactics, critics argue, resemble historical authoritarian policing — designed to intimidate and control rather than uphold justice. The climate of fear they create extends far beyond undocumented individuals, affecting entire communities and undermining trust in government institutions.
Families Torn Apart in the Streets
Few images have galvanized public anger more than those of families separated in public. Parents ripped from children on the streets. Mothers detained during court hearings. Spouses arrested while attending routine interviews. These heart-wrenching moments are at the center of No Kings’ moral outrage.
Americans Arrested
Even U.S. citizens have fallen victim to ICE detentions due to administrative errors or racial profiling. Multiple documented cases have emerged where American citizens were held in custody because of misidentifications or faulty databases. Such mistakes reveal deep systemic flaws and highlight the consequences of unchecked enforcement power.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The No Kings protests mark a decisive moment in America’s ongoing debate about its identity, values, and future. At their core, the protests call for:
- Comprehensive, humane immigration reform
- Federal oversight and accountability for ICE
- Protection of democratic institutions from executive overreach
- Empowerment of local activism to challenge national injustices
Whether these demands translate into policy remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: millions of Americans are no longer willing to accept silence in the face of creeping authoritarianism. For now, the No Kings movement stands as a warning, and a promise, that the people will not accept kings in America.
Full photo coverage by Madison Avenue Magazine
