Thousands of people participated in protests in Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and smaller cities such as Elko and Hawthorne on Saturday against President Donald Trump’s administration, including his crackdown on immigration and rollback of LGBTQ+ protections. 

In Carson City, attendees waved signs saying “Stop ICE raids” and “Defend the Constitution,” while cars passed by blaring Cumbia music. The protests — part of a larger series of more than 2,000 “No Kings” demonstrations planned nationwide — come after more than 90 people were arrested at anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Las Vegas earlier this week. 

The demonstrations, part of the 50 protests, 50 states movement known as 50501, have been planned by various progressive organizations for weeks, with the left-leaning group Indivisible helping organize the Reno and Carson City gatherings. The protest in Las Vegas was also organized by Indivisible. 

State legislators Assm. Selena La Rue Hatch (D-Reno), Assm. Erica Roth (D-Reno) and Assm. Natha Anderson (D-Sparks) were also at the Northern Nevada events, with LaRue Hatch condemning the murder of a Democratic state legislator yesterday in Minnesota.

Summer Bolia, a 29-year-old nutritional representative, said that she is concerned about what attempted rollbacks of LGBTQ+ rights could mean for her and her friends. Bolia said that the targeting of trans people represents a “greater attack on the people,” pointing to a loved one who recently had tubal ligation denied by a male doctor. 

“He’s taking away their health care, taking away their humanity, treating them like they're not people,” Bolia said. “At the end of the day, we're all still people, you know, it shouldn't matter how they identify.”

Travis Skaggs, 78-year-old retired union pipefitter, said he wasn't paying much attention to politics until Trump was elected, and has become increasingly concerned about how Trump “has placed himself above the law.” Since Trump’s inauguration, Skaggs has been marching outside of the Nevada Capitol multiple times a week, bearing a flag that says “he’s an idiot.” 

“He's an embarrassment, but he's incredibly good at branding himself,” Skaggs said. 

Rob Fuller, a 36-year-old UNR graduate student, said he’s started paying attention to politics more recently, expressing concerns about ICE. A lot of students on campus, he said, have become concerned about having their visas pulled. 

“There's a bunch of videos of ICE agents taking people and their faces are covered, they're not IDing themselves, much like the KKK,” Fuller said.