Hundreds of people filled the west lawn of the Colorado State Capitol early Wednesday afternoon as they protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and other recent actions.
Shortly after noon, demonstrators spilled onto Lincoln Street and fully blocked it; police vehicles later blocked entry to the road at 14th Street. Protesters carried signs criticizing Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the Trump administration’s Project 2025 plan, and anti-immigrant rhetoric generally. One chant took aim at Trump, while another, in Spanish, said that “a town united will never be defeated.”
Mexican flags predominated in the crowd, but American, Palestinian, Honduran and Venezuelan flags were present, too. One woman burned incense. Before police shut the street down, passing cars and cement trucks honked in support and stopped on the side of the street.
Other signs included, in Spanish, one reading “Immigrants are the heart of this country” and a sign depicting Musk’s recent Nazi-like salute.
The protest — planned before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies carried out immigration raids across metro Denver on Wednesday morning — was part of a nationwide day of action called “50 States, 50 Protests.” As marchers circled the Colorado Capitol, thousands of protesters gathered at state capitols in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Shortly after noon, as speakers began talking on the steps of the Colorado Capitol, the crowd in the street began marching up Lincoln before turning up the hill onto East Colfax Avenue. They circled the building before returning to the west lawn, where prepared speakers delivered remarks and led more chants. Another group held separate chants in the street, and still more protesters continued circling the building.
As he set up a table with bottled water and signs on the Capitol lawn, James Bradek said he was surprised by the size of the crowd. He’d planned to attend the protest even before the immigration raids Wednesday morning, and he hoped the energy in the crowd would carry on and lead to real change.
“People want to fight back,” Bradek said, as he handed water to passing students.
A few hundred yards away, across Lincoln and Broadway, a small group of Denver Police officers lingered. A police spokesman said officers had monitored a student march to the Capitol and planned to watch the protest in case any safety issues arise.
“People are upset with how things are going — they need an outlet,” said John Stackhouse, who stood a few feet from the west steps of the Capitol. “I certainly need to be here.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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