Anti-Donald Trump immigration protest draws 4K people to downtown Jacksonville Saturday
State Rep. Angie Nixon (center) leads a protest against immigration policies Saturday outside the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville. Image via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics.

NIXON
About two dozen protests were taking place in Florida alone by opponents to the President's immigration actions.

More than 4,000 people turned out to protest against the Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agency and President Donald Trump Saturday outside the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville.

The event was organized by 5050-1, which means 50 protests in 50 states with one movement. The political activist organization estimated they organized more than 2,000 demonstrations Saturday across the nation with about two dozen in Florida alone as part of what the group called “No Kings Day.”

The crowd joined in chants led by speakers such as, “No Kings,” referring to their belief that Trump sees himself as a regal leader, a charge the White House has denied and insists he’s the president of a constitutional republic.

State Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, was the keynote speaker at the Duval County event that lasted more than two hours in the sweltering heat.

“I consider my self to be the biggest pain in (Gov.) Ron DeSantis’s ass,” Nixon said as the crowd erupted into cheers. “I look forward to being the biggest pain in Donald Trump’s ass.”

She went on to urge those in the crowd to become consistent voters and change the leadership in American government in the 2026 midterm elections by motivating other residents to vote against the Trump agenda and candidates who favor the President’s approach.

It was clearly the largest political demonstration in Jacksonville in five years to the month when a four-week series of protests over the George Floyd killing by police in 2020 drew thousands to different sites downtown each weekend. The crowd at Saturday’s demonstration was raucous as speaker after speaker railed against the Trump administration and its immigration policies and many said they were kindred spirits with protesters in Los Angeles who clashed with police, the California National Guard and even U.S. Marines in the past week over immigration policies.

Maria Garcia, an organizer with the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, was also one of more than a dozen speakers and turned her attention to local Jacksonville City Council Member Rory Diamond who introduced a successful City Council measure this month that would block any programs from using city funds to pay for supporting immigration services. It passed Tuesday, but the Mayor has not signed it yet.

Garcia said the Republican Diamond is a “racist.”

Another City Council Member, Jimmy Peluso, was among the crowd during the protest and often joined in the cheers and chants. He said he was impressed with the turnout, but he derided the claim that some of his colleagues on the council were racist, particularly Diamond.

“What I’m behind is our First Amendment rights,” Peluso, a Democrat, said. “I’m not going to say my colleagues are racist. My interactions with them show me different.”

The participants in the crowd were not unanimously anti-Trump. Amelia Hughes was standing near the speaker’s platform and said she came from Waycross, Geogia to attend the protest she sees as misguided.

“In my heart I need to be here to speak out for those who can’t speak,” Hughes said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much hate for one person (Trump).”

A small airplane circled the protest site briefly with a banner behind it that said, “Duval for Trump.”

The protest site was directly in front of the courthouse on Adams Street Downtown, and the scene was more sedate than in some other cities.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office police kept their distance for the most part with department vehicles blocking road traffic at key intersections establishing a several-block perimeter surrounding the event. About a dozen sheriff’s officers riding patrol bicycles routinely passed through the area to monitor the demonstration, but there was no notable interaction.

Drew Dixon

Drew Dixon is a journalist of 40 years who has reported in print and broadcast throughout Florida, starting in Ohio in the 1980s. He is also an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at three colleges, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. You can reach him at [email protected].


9 comments

  • Foghorn Leghorn

    June 14, 2025 at 4:56 pm

    Goofballs, unemployed, kids living with mom and dad, old hippies living at century village, etc. Bottom line people with nothing else to do. Rah rah zombies.

    • Deb Hansen

      June 14, 2025 at 5:56 pm

      Your high level of discourse does much to explain your comment.

      • Impeach Newsom

        June 14, 2025 at 7:06 pm

        I’m sure you were there today supporting illegal aliens. That’s your party. Me? I’m watching the celebration of the US Army. That’s where the majority of voters are. Closed borders, strong defense, fair trade,etc. Not men playing in girls sports, millions of invaders allowed to enter this country illegally. You are on the wrong side of where most Americans are.

        • Michael K

          June 15, 2025 at 7:52 am

          The majority of Americans disapprove of Trump – his favorability is at 38%, and two out of every three Americans disapprove of his $45 million birthday parade.

          • Impeach Newsom

            June 15, 2025 at 10:01 am

            Let me guess, a poll published on MSNBC or The View.

  • Deb Hansen

    June 14, 2025 at 5:55 pm

    Thousands of people exercising their freedom of speech and assembly. Peacefully.

    The next most important thing that MUST happen is that all of these people VOTE. It’s the only reason Trump is in office: Too many people stayed home on election day thinking it didn’t matter. Now, we see how wrong they were. YOUR vote does matter. Don’t let this happen again.

  • Earl

    June 14, 2025 at 9:51 pm

    The “Dook 4 Brains Dook-A-Crats” are sinking into Hell just like “The Ayatola” of “Dook Iran”,
    Earl has spoken, Earl Pitts American

  • PeterH

    June 15, 2025 at 9:52 am

    Here and abroad Trump’s world is on fire!

    TACO says “let’s have a $45 million dollar taxpayer funded birthday celebration in my honor…… and watch me and my adorable administration yawn and fall asleep while the parade passes by. Gotta love those television cameras!

  • the Truth

    June 15, 2025 at 7:06 pm

    probably a lot of illegals in that crown that could have been deported, why not??? kick all of them out

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, Liam Fineout, A.G. Gancarski, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Andrew Powell, Jesse Scheckner, Janelle Taylor, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704