Between 200 and 300 people gathered in downtown Columbus to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, show support for the city’s immigrant communities, and to express solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles.
Several pro-immigrant and left-leaning groups organized the “ICE Out!” protest, which took place June 10 at Columbus City Hall on West Broad Street. The Ohio Immigrant Alliance, 50501, the Party for Socialism and Liberation Columbus, the La Raza Movement, and the Columbus Democratic Socialists of America organized the demonstration.
Scores of protesters holding signs denouncing the Trump administration and showing support for immigrant communities were in attendance as organizers gave speeches and led pro-immigration, anti-Trump chants and slogans. Other protesters waved Palestinian flags and donned the traditional keffiyehs or held upside-down American flags, which is used as a signal of distress.
Rene Levino, 69, of Pataskala, told The Dispatch that he attended the protest because as a Vietnam veteran, he felt obligated to continue to protect the country from what he called a “form of dictatorship.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to stand up for my country,” said Levino, donning a black Vietnam veteran cap. “I just want our country back, and I want (Trump) to follow the law.”
James McCullough, 22, of Columbus, said that it was hypocritical that the United States relies on immigrant labor but at the same time is trying to have undocumented immigrants deported. McCullough also noted the plight that migrants from African countries face, such as Senegalese and Sudanese migrants.
“(Immigration) is another race issue,” said McCullough.
The demonstration was entirely peaceful. After protest leaders led chants and gave speeches at Columbus City Hall for an hour, protesters walked onto Broad Street and marched eastbound before turning north onto High Street while still chanting. Columbus police officers, including officers from the division’s dialogue team, largely stayed on the periphery of the crowd while temporarily shutting down street intersections so protesters could safely march through.
The protesters continued marching past Columbus police headquarters as they continued back onto West Broad Street in front of Columbus City Hall. Protesters then dispersed without incident.
Columbus City Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said on June 9 that she would attend the protest, but The Dispatch could not immediately determine if she was in attendance.
Columbus ICE Out! protest entirely peaceful
Columbus’ ICE Out! protest was a sharp contrast to pictures and videos coming out of Los Angeles.
Protests and outright riots have broken out in L.A. in response to ICE agents conducting immigration raids and arresting immigrants at businesses in the city. The protests there hit a boiling point on June 7, as masked protesters stormed city streets, hurling slabs of concrete, Molotov cocktails, and other items at heavily armed and masked agents and law enforcement officers.
Videos taken by both residents and protesters show rioters blocking highway traffic, facing off with law enforcement agencies, and setting fire to Waymo self-driving cars. Law enforcement agencies deployed tear gas to disperse protesters, and one officer was captured on video shooting an Australian reporter with a rubber bullet while a New York Post photographer was shot in the head with a rubber bullet by another officer on June 9.
In an effort to quell the protests, President Donald Trump deployed a total of 4,000 National Guard troops and a Marine unit consisting of 700 soldiers from Camp Pendleton. Trump’s actions drew rebuke from California’s leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing Trump and other officials from his administration of violating the Constitution and “trampling over” Newsom’s authority.
“Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority. This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic,” Newsom said in a prepared statement.
Trump recently stated that he wants an additional 20,000 National Guard troops deployed to LA. The deployment of National Guard troops and the Marine battalion is expected to cost around $134 million, according to reporting from USA TODAY. The addition of 20,000 National Guard troops would cost around $3.6 billion.
‘No Kings’ protests scheduled June 14 across central Ohio
Several “No Kings” protests are scheduled in central Ohio in defiance of the large military parade Trump is holding in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday on June 14, which is also President Trump’s birthday. On June 10, Trump said he expected protesters to try and ruin the parade and warned that they would be met with “very big force.”
Central Ohio protests scheduled include:
An Indivisible Central Ohio No Kings protest from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during the Stonewall Columbus Pride March
A No Kings Hilliard protest at Warehouse 839 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A No Kings Clintonville protest at the intersection of North Broadway and Indianola Avenue from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A No Kings: National Day of Action protest at Westerville City Hall from 3 to 4 p.m.
A No Kings Grove City protest from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A No Kings Pickerington protest at the intersection of State Route 256 and Refugee Road from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A No Kings Delaware protest at Delaware City Hall from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
A No Kings London protest at the Madison County Courthouse from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus protest opposes Trump, support LA demonstrations