Hundreds Protest ICE Raids in North Texas as Immigration Crackdown Escalates

Photo credit: Dallas Morning News 

A massive crowd of protesters, estimated at nearly a thousand, gathered near Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on Sunday to oppose President Donald Trump’s national deportation plan, which has led to widespread immigration enforcement raids throughout North Texas. 

The protest lasted well into the cold evening, with demonstrators wrapped in blankets and Mexican flags, chanting slogans such as “F**k Donald Trump.” 

As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted targeted raids across cities like Dallas, Garland, Irving, Arlington and Fort Worth, 84 individuals were arrested and processed at the Dallas Enforcement and Removal Operations field office. According to ICE, the detainees faced various charges, including overstaying visas and drug offenses. 

A Dallas resident, Jaqueline Castillo stood among the protesters, representing her undocumented parents. “I am here for everyone who can’t be, including my parents who mean the world to me,” she said. “Here together, it gives me strength.” 

Among the crowd was Emma, a Dallasite protesting the Department of Homeland Security’s rescission of long-standing protections for sensitive locations like schools and churches. 

“They are children; how could they possibly have done anything to warrant that disruption to their education?” Emma said. “We already have so much fear in our schools because of unregulated gun violence, and to now have to worry that the government is going to come in and take you away is heinous.” 

The raids extend beyond Dallas to cities such as Austin, San Antonio, McAllen and Houston, following an intensified enforcement strategy under the Trump administration which revoked a directive that had previously barred immigration arrests in "sensitive" locations, including churches and schools. 

ICE confirmed a total of 956 arrests nationwide on Sunday. In Austin, similar raids were supported by federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). 

While Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis stated that federal officials were serving warrants for violent offenders, the operations prompted protests at the Texas State Capitol. 

“This is what it takes – going to the streets, going to places of government, and also just in your everyday politics with other people, sharing your ideas, having difficult conversations,” said Kimberly Rivera, a demonstrator in Austin. “Historically, protest is how we have accomplished what we have accomplished.” 

For many, these actions symbolize more than immigration enforcement; they represent an attack on marginalized groups. Corinna Ramirez, another Dallas protester, expressed concern that the policies could expand to disenfranchise other communities. 

“It starts here, but it feels like it could snowball,” said Ramirez. “It’s going to impact other brown people and other marginalized groups. So if we can try to impede it as much as possible now, it would be a great start.”