Nationwide Protests Planned Against Trump Immigration, Medicaid Policies/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ More than 1,600 protests are planned across the U.S. Thursday to oppose President Trump’s mass deportations and Medicaid cuts. The coordinated demonstrations coincide with a national day of action honoring civil rights icon John Lewis. Organizers say the movement responds to rising authoritarianism under Trump’s second-term policies.
Trump Protest Day Quick Looks
- 1,600+ protests nationwide on July 17, 2025
- Events honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis
- Demonstrators oppose Trump’s immigration raids and Medicaid cuts
- Public Citizen and civil rights groups co-lead the coalition
- Major rallies planned in Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, and St. Louis
- Chicago rally includes candlelight vigil, DJ-led march
- Raids in California prompted deaths, curfews, and National Guard deployments
- “No Kings” June marches accused Trump of authoritarianism
- Trump’s birthday parade criticized as undemocratic spectacle
Nationwide Protests Planned Against Trump Immigration, Medicaid Policies
Deep Look
CHICAGO (AP) — Across the U.S. on Thursday, thousands of Americans are expected to fill the streets, courthouses, and public squares in a sweeping show of resistance to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and deep cuts to social safety nets, including Medicaid. The “Good Trouble Lives On” national day of action is being hailed as a defense of democracy and civil rights, while paying tribute to late Congressman John Lewis.
More than 1,600 demonstrations are scheduled nationwide, from California to Maryland, with organizers insisting the protests remain peaceful but vocal.
Honoring John Lewis with Action
The national day of protest is named after one of Lewis’s most enduring quotes: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Lewis, who died in 2020 at age 80, was the youngest member of the historic “Big Six” civil rights leaders and a survivor of the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Lewis’s lifelong commitment to nonviolent resistance and voter rights has inspired this year’s rallies. Cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, and Annapolis are preparing for large-scale turnout. Chicago has been designated the “flagship city,” with a central downtown march, candlelight vigil, and community celebration.
“We are going to have boots on the ground, and music to lift our voices,” said Betty Magness of the League of Women Voters in Chicago.
Organizers Sound the Alarm Over Authoritarian Drift
The protests are coordinated by a coalition of more than a dozen advocacy organizations, including Public Citizen. Lisa Gilbert, the group’s co-president, spoke during a digital press conference on Tuesday.
“We are navigating one of the most terrifying moments in our nation’s history,” she said. “Authoritarianism is rising. Our democracy is being tested.”
Gilbert and fellow organizers have pointed to Trump’s sweeping immigration enforcement orders, crackdowns on civil protest, and severe cuts to programs like Medicaid as direct threats to American freedoms.
Escalating Tensions Over Immigration Enforcement
Protesters are especially outraged by recent ICE raids that sparked violence and tragedy. In Southern California, federal authorities raided two marijuana farms earlier this month, resulting in mass arrests. One undocumented farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during the chaos.
The Trump administration has also deployed the National Guard outside key federal buildings and in support of immigration agents in urban areas such as Los Angeles. Since then, curfews and heightened surveillance have sparked even more protest, particularly in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.
“People are terrified,” said an organizer in Oakland. “This administration is treating immigrants like enemies of the state.”
Building on “No Kings” Demonstrations
The July 17 demonstrations come less than a month after the massive June 14 “No Kings” protests, which spanned from coast to coast. Millions of Americans marched against what they described as Trump’s authoritarian tactics, including a controversial military parade held on his birthday.
Activists say Thursday’s “Good Trouble Lives On” rallies will carry that momentum forward, focusing not only on immigrant rights but also health care, environmental justice, and electoral access.
“We cannot allow silence in the face of suffering,” said Reverend Jamal Richardson, a speaker at the upcoming Atlanta rally. “John Lewis taught us to make noise—the right kind of noise.”
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