TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucsonans gathering downtown for their bi-weekly "death of due process" protests, showing up in all black Friday evening.
Though the protests started a little over three months ago, organizer with Mobilize Tucson Hana Cantral says this one is different: a funeral and a protest to grieve what they say they've lost and grow as a community.
There was no chanting or cheering at this march. Instead, the procession, dressed in all black, passed through a few blocks of Downtown Tucson in silence, some holding flowers.
“We knew that due process and our Constitutional right were under threat," Cantral said. "At this point, we have accepted the point that our rights have been lost.”
Those rights, Mobilize Tucson's release said, were "promised by previous generations," like due process, especially for immigrants.
“Given the recent Big Beautiful Bill that was passed and the huge amount of money that was allocated to ICE, that basically seals it," Cantral said.
That cause bringing Tucsonans out in funeral attire to march in near hundred-degree heat.
“This is mourning attire," said first-time protester William Murphy. "I’m mourning the direction that this country is going."
He said he came out because he felt he had to do something to show solidarity with the immigrant community, especially those he saw as targeted by ICE.
“In all but I guess the strictest sense of legality, they are American citizens to me, and these American citizens need to be defended because they have a government— in my opinion— that is not just not defending them but attacking them," Murphy said.
The demonstration also including a eulogy for those lost in ICE custody.
Ice started published in-custody deaths in 2018, and since then, they've reported that 70 people have died in their care. Eight of those deaths were in 2025.
“We are here mourning the literal loss of lives," Cantral said. "We really want to drive home to point that these are real human beings.”
KGUN 9 reached out to ICE for a comment, but haven't received a response.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
