Thousands of people from national organizations, local outreach programs, labor unions and the Washington, D.C., community filled the National Mall for May Day, emphasizing immigrant rights and unified power.
May Day, an annual day of action on May 1 and International Workers’ Day, calls all workers, students and families to rally for labor rights by not attending work, school or purchasing anything to protest the injustices of large corporations and worker exploitation.
This year, the crowd emphasized protecting immigrant workers just days after President Donald Trump approved new funding for the Department of Homeland Security, ending a record shutdown that came from Congressional disagreements over immigration agency funding. Earlier this month, the administration also proposed a 2027 defense budget that asks for billions of dollars for infrastructure projects and law enforcement presence across D.C.
Trump’s new phase of discrete immigration crackdowns and the deployment of the National Guard through 2027 also ignited protesters, leaving a sea of signs, pins, t-shirts and chants addressing these issues.
Katie Sayour, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said May Day has always been an important holiday, but showing up today to protest the current administration’s attacks against various movements was especially important.
“We are seeing increased attacks on all fronts: against workers, immigrant workers, laborers, Black youth,” Sayour said. “The Trump administration is kind of the common enemy of all the movements.”
John Cary, a member of the National Nurses United and American University 2016 alum with a BS in economics from the College of Arts and Sciences, said many of his hospital coworkers have immigrant backgrounds from across the globe. He said he finds their diligence in administering care to community members to be admirable.
“I’m also standing up for them because I know those nurses both have my patients’ backs and they also have my back at work,” Cary said. “So I’m showing solidarity with them because they show solidarity with me.”
The crowd continued several chants throughout the rally, including “The people united will never be defeated” and “Workers united will never be divided.” The direct Spanish translation followed every chant.
Members of We are CASA — a community power organization — along with many other organizations, were passing out snacks, water and signs to members of the crowd during the rally.
CASA currently has many litigation lawsuits against the Trump administration, including on birthright citizenship and the rescission of Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, two forms of temporary immigration status.
George Escobar, the Executive Director of CASA, said organization and planning were integral to ensuring protesters’ safety. Escobar said the group was especially cognizant of the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and National Guard members this year.
“We have a number of security measures in place as well to make sure that our immigrant members that are afraid right now feel secure and safe enough to be out,” he said.
As the crowd moved from its rally at the National Mall, the group of thousands moved through the streets of D.C. toward Franklin Park to hear more speakers. Organizing groups like CASA secured permits from the city as part of the security measures Escobar mentioned.
Not only was D.C.’s occupation a factor in the adoption of additional safety measures, but Escobar also said it was a major reason so many people showed up to rally and march.
“We wanted to make sure to lift up the fight for the immigrant worker to make sure folks really understand the moment that we’re living in,” Escobar said.
This moment also extends beyond the district, he said.
“Immigrant workers are really being disproportionately impacted by the federal occupation, particularly in D.C., but also across the nation,” Escobar said. “We see local police collaborating with ICE and indiscriminately picking up people just because of what they look like and the jobs that they have.”
Several signs in the crowd read, “Immigrant workers make America Great.” Others read, “Money for people’s needs, not the War Machine” and “Fund people and planet, not war.”
Eva Sadana, an organizer with Sunrise Movement and DC’s Sierra Club chapter, said the day’s ask for everyone to not buy anything was to protest major corporations and the administration’s request for a greater defense budget. The proposed 2027 fiscal budget comes as the U.S. continues to spend billions of dollars on the war with Iran while asking for more.
“We’re relying on our community instead of relying on capitalism today,” Sadana said. “And honestly, that’s how I live and want to live every day.”
The Sunrise Movement and the Sierra Club, both focused on environmental and climate organizations, also emphasize community building through cross-organization planning in D.C., Sadana said. She added that standing together is what makes May Day and future protests effective.
“There is no path forward if we don’t stand in solidarity with workers and with people, because we outnumber the billionaires,” Sadana said.
Sadana said this is also pivotal in organizing for D.C. statehood to give residents the same voting autonomy that other states are guaranteed. Getting local organizations to stress the need for statehood to its national counterparts is critical, she said.
“We need statehood, because it’s actually disenfranchising so many communities in D.C.,” Sadana said. “That disenfranchisement prevents us from having a voice in our government and our representation.”
Sayour also emphasized May Day’s connection to the statehood movement, adding that the voter disenfranchisement of D.C. residents connects to the city’s history as a predominantly Black area.
“D.C.’s lack of representation, lack of statehood, we see that as part and parcel of the Black Liberation movement that exists here,” Sayour said. “So in a city like D.C., it’s incredibly important to support those movements and to find a way to build the voice of that movement.”
Through cries for radical change, chants for government abolition and communal uprising, Sayour said the day’s protest was meant to look “ungovernable.” According to Sayour, the administration is already “coming apart at the seams.”
“We can see that in the way that they’re trying to lash out at different countries, through war, through ICE, through attacks on Black youth, and so our job is to continue fanning those flames,” she said.
But, Sayour said this fight is far from over.
“We want to continue the fight beyond today by building up all our different sectors of the movement and then continuing to come together,” Sayour said. “The more we are united, the stronger we can pull at those issues and those things that exist between them where they’re pulling apart.”
This article was edited by Abigail Hatting and Gabrielle McNamee. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman and Mattie Lupo. Fact-checking done by Luca Palma Poth.
