TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — May 1 marks May Day, or International Workers Day — a day to commemorate the struggles and gains of the labor movement and advocate for workers’ rights worldwide.
For hundreds of thousands of activists across the country and around the world, including many in Tucson, they used the day to push back against policies from President Donald Trump’s administration that they say target immigrants and federal workers.
Demonstrators in Tucson gathered at Southside Presbyterian Church, where the Coalición de Derechos Humanos joined forces with more than 20 grassroots organizations and unions.
Organizers said they were using their collective voice to march in resistance, carrying banners and signs through several major Tucson corridors, including 22nd Street, 4th Avenue, 29th Street and 10th Street.
Protesters like Madam Adams and Carrie Williams said they are especially alarmed by what they describe as unconstitutional practices under the Trump administration.
“We're in real trouble. We need to be here. We need to be here together,” Adams said.
Williams added, “There’s so many things that I could list that they have done that are illegal, unethical, immoral.”
Adams also referenced recent controversial deportations.
“The government is now snatching people off the street in unmarked cars, with unidentified officers. Then they’re renditioning them to El Salvador,” she said. "It's not deportation anymore."
In March, the Trump administration used an 18th-century wartime law to deport more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, claiming they were “terrorist gang members.”
“Democrats have vowed mass invasion and mass migration,” Trump said in a recent speech. “We are delivering mass deportation, and it's happening. And the worst of the worst are being sent to a no-nonsense prison in El Salvador.”
On Thursday, a U.S. federal judge blocked the Trump administration from using that law to deport Venezuelan migrants, ruling the move unlawful.
Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. became the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act, originally passed in 1798, cannot be used to justify the mass deportation of individuals the administration claims are gang members “invading” the United States.
Despite ongoing legal battles, the administration has continued ramping up deportations.
In the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, the Department of Homeland Security says they have arrested over 151,000 illegal aliens and have deported over 135,000.
In its own news release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it had made 66,463 arrests in President Trump's first 100 days.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan reiterated the administration's firm stance on immigration enforcement.
"You can not support what we're doing, and you can support sanctuary cities, if that's what you want to do. But, if you cross that line of impediment or annoyingly harboring or concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony," Homan said.
Protesters argue such actions violate constitutional rights.
“In the Constitution, every human being in this country is entitled to due process, and, obviously, Garcia didn't get it," Adams said, referring to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported.
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These issues are what brought hundreds near Southside Presbyterian Church to join the global May Day movement.
Asked what it felt like to be surrounded by fellow demonstrators, Williams said, “It brings me hope. There’s been a lot of days with very little hope.”
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
