TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of protesters filled downtown Tucson streets Monday for 'Free America' demonstrations on the anniversary of President Trump's inauguration, expressing opposition to the current administration's policies.
People marched along Congress and Broadway holding a cacerolazo, a form of nonviolent protest which consists of a group of people making noise by banging pots, pans, blowing whistles, and honking horns in order to call for attention and make their voices heard.
Many participants walked out of schools and work to join the demonstration at Veinte de Agosto Park.
Protesters expressed frustration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, citing concerns about treatment of both immigrants and U.S. citizens. Many referenced the death of Renee Nicole Good, who died at the hands of an ICE agent.
"This isn't the America that all of us want, it's like law and order doesn't exist anymore," said protester Brandy Comeau.
Demonstrators carried anti-ICE and anti-war signs as they moved through downtown streets. Many voiced opposition to military action in Venezuela.
Comeau says she’s very concerned with the brutality and lawlessness of the government.
"I've been to Venezuela. I've been to Caracas. I've been to the forest. My heart hurts for those people. They've been through so much already with all their corruption in their own government and now to have America blowing up innocent people in the ocean is an outrage," Comeau said. "It's an outrage we can't sit quiet about."
During White House press briefings Monday, President Trump addressed Venezuela, saying progress is underway to bring stability to a country that he says was part of transnational criminal and illegal maritime networks.
"Venezuela as an example, opened their prisons into the United States. That's why one of the reasons I felt so strongly against Venezuela, now I'm loving Venezuela. And they've been working with us so well. It's been so nice," Trump said.
University High School students Valerie Burgos and Nylah Parisoff organized a walkout at their school to show solidarity against ICE operations.
"Most of us, we were scared to say anything but organizing this walkout is to prove to our students that you can make a difference and it's to empower them to go on the streets and protest like we're doing," Burgos said. "Because all of us are affected. No matter where you were born, no matter where you live, what side of town — we are all connected and that's really one of the message we are trying to prove."
Parisoff emphasized the significance of supporting her neighbors.
"This is really important, because our community, Tucson community, is largely Hispanic and they're primarily the ones being affected by ICE and we cannot stand for that. We don't stand for our community being taken off the streets and being abused," Parisoff said.
Protesters said they plan to continue speaking out against what they call an illegal invasion of Venezuela.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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