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Fact check: In what US cities are there any current &/or prolonged protests against ICE, Trump, fascism, etc?
Executive Summary
Protests against ICE, President Trump, and what demonstrators call rising “fascism” have occurred across a wide range of U.S. cities through mid‑ to late‑2025, with large national mobilizations and localized ongoing actions reported in major metropolitan areas. Reporting indicates concentrated activity in cities such as Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Denver, Memphis, Spokane, and Denver, and nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations that brought tens of thousands to millions into the streets on and around October 18, 2025 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Dramatic claim roundup: what activists and reporters say about the scope of unrest
Multiple accounts assert that anti‑ICE and anti‑Trump protests have been both widespread and sustained, with at least dozens of cities seeing actions and some networks mounting synchronized national days of protest. June mapping put anti‑ICE actions in roughly 37–40 cities across 21–23 states, noting concentrated activity in California, Texas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania and reporting over 565 arrests associated with those demonstrations [5] [6]. Media coverage of October’s “No Kings” events describes a third mass mobilization since the President’s return to office, with organizers planning 2,600+ rallies nationwide and large turnouts in New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles [3]. These accounts present an image of both local, prolonged protests — for example ongoing activity around an ICE facility in Broadview outside Chicago — and one‑day mass mobilizations that amplified national messaging [4] [1].
2. Which cities keep recurring in reports — a geographic pattern emerges
Reporting repeatedly names a cluster of large coastal and Sun Belt cities as focal points for action: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., Portland, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Denver, Memphis and Spokane appear across multiple stories as sites of either repeated protests or single very large events [4] [7] [2] [5]. The June mapping emphasized high concentrations in Texas, California, Oregon and Pennsylvania, which aligns with follow‑up accounts of both ICE‑focused demonstrations and broader anti‑administration rallies in those states [5]. Localized reports show that a single city can host both prolonged encampment‑style resistance and one‑off mass marches, meaning the same municipalities can register as both sustained and episodic hotspots depending on the moment and the targets named in coverage [4] [3].
3. How big were the big days — numbers, timing and peaks
The October 18, 2025 “No Kings” events are described as among the largest coordinated actions, with some outlets saying millions nationwide and others reporting tens of thousands in individual cities like New York, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago [1] [2]. June reporting on anti‑ICE activity framed an earlier peak in mobilization, with a mapped wave across 37–40 cities and more than 565 arrests documented around mid‑June 2025 [5]. Local episodes such as clashes outside the Broadview ICE facility in the Chicago area are dated to November 2, 2025 in some accounts and show that protest activity continued into late autumn, combining high‑visibility national days with ongoing local actions [4] [7].
4. Enforcement, clashes and legal consequences — what the sources report
Coverage consistently notes significant law enforcement responses, including arrests, use of crowd control tools such as tear gas and pepper balls, and occasional deployment of National Guard units in cities experiencing the sharpest tensions. Chicago accounts specifically cite arrests and the use of tear gas and pepper balls at an ICE protest outside a Broadview facility, raising debates over the balance between public safety and free speech [4]. Nationwide reporting also references federal deployments and legal fights over the proper scope of immigration enforcement, with local officials and residents split between support for tougher actions and alarms about racial profiling and civil‑rights implications [7] [6].
5. Competing narratives and political context — who’s framing what and why it matters
Media and organizers frame these events very differently: protest organizers emphasize civic mobilization against what they call an authoritarian turn and abusive immigration enforcement, spotlighting patriotic slogans and Constitution imagery at mass rallies [2] [3]. Law‑and‑order and federal officials frame the same activity as a response to illegal immigration and public‑safety challenges, justifying deployments and enforcement actions in some reports [7] [6]. Coverage shows both robust grassroots coordination and substantial media attention; the pattern of widespread mobilization combined with aggressive enforcement has produced legal, political, and civic debates in multiple cities about policing tactics, federal‑local authority, and the right to protest [1] [5]. These competing agendas influence which incidents are emphasized and how counts of participants and arrests are reported.