A large number of people gathered near the White House on Saturday to protest the agenda of President Donald Trump, based on a generalized effort of Anti-Trump organizers to galvanize voters interested in the administration policies and significant use of the executive authority.
The protest attendees, which took place in Lafayette Square Park in Washington, DC, told NBC News that Kilmar Abrego García’s treatment, whom the Trump administration says it was erroneously deported to El Salvador, was one of the problems that led them to participate in the demonstration.
“Everyone should have due process. No one should be carried and locked up. I don’t care if he is a murderer, he should still obtain due process,” said Ohio Stern Stern. “This country is based on that.”
The White House alleges that Abrego García is a member of a gang, and the administration has said that if he returns to the country, it will be deported again. Judicial records indicate that Abrego García has never been criminally accused in the United States or El Salvador, and his wife and lawyers deny that he is a member of the gang.
Other protesters were discouraged by what they described as the contempt of the administration for the decisions of the Federal Court, including a ruling confirmed by the Supreme Court that ordered Trump to “facilitate” the return of Abrego García to the United States.
“What is happening is very worrying about due legal process and how democracy should work,” Samantha Echols de Silver Spring, Maryland, told NBC News. “You should not just be able to decide what the laws are, to disappear people, to punish people for not agreeing with you. That is what the dictators do, and I do not want to see our country that slips in that direction.”
The concerns about the case of Abrego García were at the center of a similar protest in the center of New York, where thousands of people met in front of the New York Public Library to protest Trump’s immigration policies, according to a local NBC affiliate. A protester said that policies are creating a chilling effect throughout the city.
“People are afraid to go to Church. People are afraid to go to work. People are afraid to bring their children to school,” said Amanda Harvey, resident of Brooklyn, New York.
Two different demonstrations in Georgia, including a protest in front of the State Capitol building on Saturday, obtained dozens of protesters, according to a local NBC subsidiary. The attendees listed a litany of reasons for the demonstrations, including the efforts of the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk and Trump to remodel the government.
“They are attacking Dei, doing this witch hunt. They are saying goodbye to many federal workers and try to gut all the social programs we need, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security,” said a protester from Georgia’s Capitol a Wxia-TV. “Every day is something new.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the demonstrations.
The protests at the national level are part of an effort that began earlier this month with a series of “hands outside” manifestations throughout the country.
The events are coordinated by 50501. The organizers describe the movement as a diverse group of Americans “that represent democracy and face the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.”
Name 50501 refers to the objective of the group of 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement.
According to a list published online by the group, the day of action of Saturday saw almost 700 events throughout the country, from an “Potluck & Protest” event in Kanab, Utah, to a protest by “Tesla Takedown” in Woodstock, Virginia, to a manifestation “Take America Back” in Paw Paw, Michigan.
The protests at the national level occur when the Democrats work to more aggressively counteract Trump’s agenda, a maximum demand for the voters of the party, according to recent surveys.
A NBC news survey conducted in March found that almost two thirds of Democratic voters said they want Congress’ Democrats to adhere to their positions, even if it leads to stagnation, while a third wanted their leaders to commit to Trump.
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-VT., And representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., have made a series of “Tour of Oligarchy of Fighting” stops throughout the country, including an event last week in Los Angeles that attracted more than 30,000 people, according to the senator’s office.
The Democrats of Congress in recent months have celebrated dozens of smaller city council events in an attempt to capitalize on the political reaction of Trump’s main cuts to the Federal Labor and Political Policy Plan.
Regarding Saturday’s protests, the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, Dn.y., “I think that public feeling is everything. And the public feeling is growing against Donald Trump as more Americans face growing costs and less freedom under the chaotic leadership of Donald Trump.”
