The ‘NO KINGS’ protest in San Francisco took an urgent turn early Saturday morning, when demonstrators gathered outside 478 Tehama St. after word spread that ICE had summoned immigrant residents to the location under threat of arrest.
More than 200 demonstrators arrived at the site — a private facility contracted by ICE for its Intensive Supervision Appearance Program — at 7 a.m. to show support for their neighbors. By 8:30 a.m., what began as a rapid response had turned into a peaceful protest that prevented ICE from opening the building.
“We’ve seen this around the country that they do these ruses, they call people in and they detain them even without deportation orders,” said Eisa, a representative from the Party of Socialism and Liberation who preferred to go by only their first name. “But we have the presence of people in the streets, and we’ve been successful in making sure [ICE] can’t even open their doors today.”
Edmundo, a longtime activist and therapist, emphasized the emotional toll these tactics have on families and the healing power of community response.
“They’re scared, they’re overwhelmed, and they’re very unsure about all of it,” he said, referencing the escalating cruelty of ICE’s tactics, but in the face of a morning like this one, “everybody’s feeling really supported and there’s a lot of gratitude about everybody out here supporting them.”
Protesters remained on Tehama Street until at least 10:45 a.m., when organizers headed to Mission Dolores Park, the first stop of the planned NO KINGS march. Lawyers and advocates who stayed behind confirmed that the ICE facility never opened.
“I would say every moment that we can stop these detentions and deportations is a victory and a very clear demonstration of the fact that we actually have the power,” said Sanika Mahajan, Director of Community Engagement and Organizing at Mission Action. “These buildings wouldn’t have their lights on or open without immigrant labor and the labor of all of us workers. Nothing would run in this city and this economy without the labor of immigrants and all workers. So it’s really our streets, our building—and if they can’t open it because of us, we will consider that a victory.”
By 11:30 a.m., thousands filled Dolores Park, many waving protest signs and flags, others dressed in elaborate costumes in celebration of Pride Month. (Though no one could quite explain the inflatable T-Rex.)
Robert Frost, a representative for the San Francisco chapter of 50501, spoke about the growing movement of protesters galvanized since Trump’s reelection.
“A lot of it comes from the people first,” he said. “With what’s been going on, people seeing the news have been motivated to come out, and we’ve been helping lead them to a collective place where they can speak together.”
Frost emphasized how the NO KINGS message connects issues across immigration, labor, and democracy itself.
“In California as a whole we have so many immigrants and the large push against due process by the administration isn’t democracy, it’s not the rule of law, it’s not what we fought for hundreds of years to build.”
The crowd began marching toward Civic Center at noon, chanting, dancing, and calling for justice. Music and joy accompanied determination. Even as the fight ahead remains long, the energy on the streets was a powerful reminder: resistance, at its core, is an act of humanity.
