New Mexicans who feel the United States has gone off track will take to the streets again Saturday for the third round of "No Kings" protests.
Demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his policies have grown larger since the first protests were held in June 2025. Las Cruces organizers reported turnout for their October event doubled attendance of the June event, and protest actions expanded to 30 locations across the state.
Longtime Santa Fe political activist Heidi Li Feldman, a professor of law emeritus at Georgetown University Law Center, said numbers matter.
"Every time we do an event, more and more people turn out, which means more and more people are paying attention," she said. "The first step in fighting an oppressive government is for people to pay attention to what's going on."
Since last year's "No Kings" demonstration, organizers say, Trump has successfully pushed Republican lawmakers to pass laws that have put health care out of reach for millions, reversed environmental protections, and eliminated the Department of Education. The war with Iran is costings billions each day as food and gas prices rise for Americans. In addition, two Minneapolis residents were shot and killed while protesting tactics used by ICE agents against the undocumented.
Santa Fe's "No Kings" demonstration at the Roundhouse begins at 11 a.m. before a march into downtown starts at 1 p.m.
Li Feldman said she believes citizen participation in the marches serves as a tool for fighting authoritarianism and protecting democracy.
"Those of us who will be marching in the streets will not only be sending a message about our federal government," she said, "but we will literally be living our civil rights. And I think we really need to do that now."
The third protest comes as the United States has gone to war with Iran, causing economic uncertainty. In addition, travelers now face hours-long lines at airports over a funding standoff in Congress, and ICE agents have been deployed to 14 airports to monitor the crowds.
At the same time, Trump has the highest disapproval rating of any president at this point in his presidency in this century.
Source: Public News Service
