On Saturday, April 5, Albuquerque joined cities across the country in a “Hands Off!” protest, during which thousands rallied at Civic Plaza to protest against the Trump’s administration’s actions.
Speakers addressed local and national issues including immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, Medicaid, Palestinian rights, the right to free speech, public education and the University of New Mexico’s policies.
Speakers at the rally included labor activist Dolores Huerta, former Secretary of the Interior and current gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico Women’s March Chair Samia Assed, UNM law professor Ernesto Longa, among others.
Huerta, who will celebrate her 95th birthday on April 10, was greeted with a “Happy Birthday” song from the crowd.
“Thank you for joining this wonderful march, this national march, to protest what's happening in Washington,” Huerta said.
Keller said he would defend Albuquerque and protect immigrant communities if Trump tries to cut diversity, equity and inclusion in the city.
“We're not afraid to say those words, and we're gonna keep saying them because it's who we are,” Keller said. “Our strength is in our people and in our diversity.”
Robert Luke, a local radio entertainer who emceed the event, said he was pleased by the turnout.
“Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you're just so frustrated by what's going on around you,” Luke said. “But it was refreshing to see that there are a lot of people who feel just like me, people who don't look like me, but we still think and feel the same way.”
Assed told the crowd that as a Palestinian American, she feels “defeated” by what she has seen in Gaza.
Over 1,000 people have been killed since the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on March 18, according to the United Nations.
“You must center Gaza in your fight for your democracy,” Assed said. “Fight for Gaza like you would fight for your home.”
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Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, spoke about Trump's orders to dismantle the Education Department.
“Trump claims this is all about returning education to the states,” Bernstein said.
But, she said, Trump threatened to withdraw funding if school districts refuse to remove DEI in schools.
On March 28, UNM released proposed draft changes that removed UNM’s affirmative action policies.
Longa spoke about UNM’s recent prospective affirmative action policy changes and pro-Palestine free speech on college campuses.
He said that since dismantling the UNM Palestine solidarity encampment, UNM has further regulated campus protests, limited public comment at Board of Regents meetings and “refused” to consider a motion for divestment from Israel, instead choosing to take a position of institutional neutrality.
“The Trump administration is now arresting and disappearing international students from our campuses across the country because they have dared to speak out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” Longa said.
On March 27, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department revoked more than 300 student visas, while the Trump administration continues to detain and deport pro-Palestinian student activists, according to Politico.
Maria Lawrence, a special educator who works for a public school in the Albuquerque South Valley, said she is worried about immigration policies and the dismantling of the Education Department.
“I've had students stop coming to school because they're afraid of being deported," she said.
Lawrence said she will do everything she can to protect her students and assure them that “ICE is not allowed” on her school’s campus.
Vice President of Indivisible Albuquerque Tiffany Stevens helped organize the event.
“I thought the turnout today was absolutely amazing,” Stevens said. “I have never seen such diversity in age groups — people of all backgrounds coming together to send a message to the government.”
Crowd members chanted “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido” — or “The people united will never be defeated” — among other chants led by the speakers.
Protest attendee Jake Shoulders said he was visiting Albuquerque from Denver and decided to stop by the rally.
“I think that it’s fantastic that this is going on, everybody joining together, seeing the problems in our country and trying to fight for what’s right,” Shoulders said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
