Dozens of activists and advocates plan to gather Tuesday outside Tampa City Hall to protest the Trump administration on the one-year anniversary of the president’s second term.
Organizers say the rally will focus on issues that have affected local communities, including immigration enforcement policies.
Yunging Zheng, a member of the Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, one of the local groups planning the protest from 5 to 7 p.m., said the goal is to turn the demonstration into a united front and send a message to local and state leaders.
”We really want this to be an event to show that all of our movements are still going strong after a year as a result of this administration’s attempts at repressing the everyday working people,“ Zheng said. “People are learning from what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing.“
Over the past year, advocates and nonprofits have become more concerned as videos and firsthand accounts of immigration enforcement tactics spread online.
Earlier this month, a federal agent shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis. Across the nation, thousands of people took to the streets to protest. In Tampa, dozens of activists carrying American flags and signs against immigration authorities gathered downtown to denounce the fatal incident.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it took more than 230 legal actions against the Trump administration’s unconstitutional policies in 2025. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also issued a strong message outlining its concerns and advocating for “meaningful” policies.
The Trump administration said that in just one year it has reduced “the burden of unchecked illegal immigration” and improved Americans’ quality of life across the nation.
Florida also began last year with a tough approach that mirrored federal policies to strengthen zero-tolerance measures. New provisions expanded cooperation between law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities under a partnership known as the 287(g) program.
The rally to denounce the first year of the Trump administration is supported by members of a broad coalition of groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Students for a Democratic Society.
Advocate Alan D. Kim said the community needs to raise its voices amid uncertainty.
“There is a huge feeling of fear among immigrants, or anyone who might even look like an immigrant,” Kim said. “Any encounter with law enforcement here could result in ICE showing up.”
Victoria Hinckley, a member of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, said the protest in Tampa will serve as opposition to a year defined by aggressive immigration enforcement. Hinckley was expelled from the University of South Florida after participating in pro-Palestinian protests in the spring of 2024.
“Throughout the past year, we have seen his violent attacks on immigrants through the mass deportations and the utilization of ICE,” Hinckley said. “We are here to say, ‘No!’”