On Saturday, March 28, 2026, Seattleites returned to the streets for the third “No Kings” protest since the reelection of President Donald Trump. According to organizers, protesters numbering around 100,000 flooded the streets around Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill. After riveting speeches from community organizers, local politicians, and enraged citizens, the march proceeded down Pike Street toward the Space Needle.
Speaking out
Protesters, young and old, showed up to voice their concerns regarding the administration, citing a myriad of reasons for their outrage, including the treatment of immigrants housed in ICE detention centers without due process.
“I think it’s the thing I can do today to try and raise people’s awareness of what’s going on,” one protester dubbed “The Axolotl” said. For him, the most egregious offense was “the transport of innocent men to El Salvador to be in a gulag with no due process whatsoever.”
“I’m here to give my voice against Trump and his tyranny,” Darren, another protester added, repeating a sentiment expressed by many. “We’re ordinary people, and we’re not criminals. We are not the enemy. We are the people, the protectors fighting for everyone’s rights: the right to democracy, free speech, the right to vote, the right to exist.”
For some marching in the streets, the effect of the administration’s policies has already hit home. Drag performer Electra Fie donned her horns and heels — a look about more than just stunning those around her with her exquisitely morbid eye makeup. “All the real demons and crazy evil people out there are disguised as, you know, the good people that run this country or the schools or the churches,” she explained. “But I look like this, but I’m the sweetest, most caring, and accepting of anybody.”
ICE activity
Electra Fie’s presence wasn’t just to stand with her fellow drag performers who are facing discriminatory bills across the country. “I met a friend who got me a job last December, but last June he went to immigration court and then was taken by ICE and deported back to Venezuela,” she said.
The disappearance of friends, coworkers, and neighbors due to amped-up ICE policies is becoming more and more commonplace here in Washington. Data released by the Department of Homeland Security at the beginning of April indicate that over 2,100 people have been taken by ICE in the state since October. The number of people arrested by ICE in the state over the last six months nearly matches that of the last four years of the Biden administration.
While Trump was adamant on the campaign trail that his immigration enforcement policies would only target “the worst of the worst,” three-fourths of those arrested by ICE in Washington state have no criminal convictions. The monumental uptick in arrests has led to an unprecedented caseload for pro bono immigrant rights lawyers in the state.
Lawyers weren’t able to help Electra Fie’s friend, though. “He got deported back to Venezuela,” she said. “He couldn’t find work there, so he’s in Lima, Peru, and he has a job there. But it’s been quite traumatizing for him.”
Deportations are becoming more common and happening in plain sight now. Footage released by SeaTac Airport this week showed a University of Washington student and his son being led by ICE agents to a commercial flight, which was set to deport them, on April 8. The increase in commercial flight deportations has caused concern among many that these events are continuing to happen right under their noses.
Electra Fie’s main concern about the administration’s deportation policies was the way her friend was treated while in detention. “He was down in the ICE center for a month and a half,” she said. “I went and saw him right before he got his court date, before leaving there, and he’d lost a lot of weight there.”
Ten days before the No Kings protest, ICE reported that 46 people had died while in custody or in detention centers since the start of the second Trump administration. Thirty-six of those deaths came within three months of arrest. Most were due to the conditions in the facilities. People have reported being unable to access their daily medications, while others mentioned food scarcity and unsanitary conditions due to overcrowding.
We are not alone
Despite the serious concerns top of mind for many Seattle protesters, the event didn’t feel somber. People danced to music, came dressed in costume — from blow-up animals to several in Mrs. Doubtfire-inspired drag to channel “Aunt Tifa” — and celebrated being in community with so many others voicing the same frustrations.
“I’m here to give my voice and resist,” Electra Fie said. “And down with the patriarchy!”
Amid the constant barrage of news coming out of the administration, it can be hard to believe it’s only been one year since Trump took office. It can also be hard to believe that those around us are feeling the same anger, sadness, fear, and burnout. With internet algorithms feeding us appalling news and hateful legislation continuing to pass, it can feel like we’re alone, that everyone else in the world is just okay with what’s happening. But the No Kings protest was a great reminder that none of this is normal. The anger, the outrage, the fear that we are all feeling just means we are paying attention.
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