EL PASO, Tx., January 20, 2026: There are four protest sites, including two high schools, scheduled across El Paso for today’s one year anniversary of the Trump administration’s second term anniversary. The Free America Walkout is organizing today’s scheduled walkouts across the nation. The organization is asking people to “walk out of work, school, and commerce, today to protest ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent.” Unlike the No Kings protests on June 14 and October 20, this latest protest has drawn little news media attention.
Also, unlike the No Kings protest which brought protest events to public venues to demonstrate opposition to the Trump administration, today’s protest organizers are encouraging people to leave work, schools and stores and march on federal buildings to build on their opposition to federal government policies.
Dana Fisher told Axios that protests against the Trump administration are evolving for the second year of his second term because “peaceful, legally permitted marches are not enough to push back,” she said. Fisher is a professor at the American University School of International Service.
Today’s movement is based on the belief that the American people must consent to what the Trump administration is doing, and by protesting the organizers believe that it tells the Trump administration that “a free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate,” says the movement’s website.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said that “President Trump is making America greater than ever before for all Americans.”
Popular Movements in the past have shown that when 3.5% of a country’s population mobilizes it forces the government to address protestors’ concerns. Recent U.S. movements including No Kings and Black Lives Matter have not achieved the inflection point of 3.5%.
However, Black Lives Matter although not achieving the inflection point for mass movements achieved policy changes in police departments and shifted public opinion towards their movement. The last No Kings protest surpassed Black Lives Matter’s protest numbers last October.
The inflection point for a mass movement in America is around 12 million Americans mobilizing. Around 7 million turned out for the last No Kings protests.
The American University School of International Service shared a survey with Axios of just under 8,000 people who either participated in the first No Kings, participated in the second protest or plan on participate in today’s protest. According to Fisher, the survey shows that 34% of those surveyed agreed that Americans “may have to resort to violence in order to save the country.”
Tensions between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement and Americans have been intensifying across the nation after Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The Trump administration has ordered 1,500 U.S. active-duty soldiers to prepare to deploy to Minnesota as he considers invoking the Insurrection Act against protestors there.
On Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard posted on its social media account that if they are ready to be activated.
Screen capture, Minnesota National Guard social media post, January 17, 2026, Martín Paredes/El Paso Herald Post.
Rising tensions between ICE and Minnesota have forced the state’s national guard to inform residents that they are there “to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies,” adding that their reflective vests will “help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniform,” apparently informing residents they are not working in conjunction with ICE officials.
El Paso Scheduled Locations
There are four protests scheduled for today in El Paso, according to the organization’s event calendar. Two are scheduled at local high schools.
The first high school event is scheduled for Americas High School. The second high school event is scheduled for Clint High School. The calendar shows two other generic protest events in El Paso. One event calls for people to walk out of their jobs, schools and other locations and meet at San Jacinto Plaza.
Today’s protests across the country are being organized by the social justice group Women’s March, the group behind the Women’s March on Washington during the first term of the Trump administration.
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Cover photo credit: El Paso No Kings Day, October 18, 2025, Michael Jasso, photojournalist/El Paso Herald Post.
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