On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators gathered along Route 66 in front of Flagstaff City Hall to take part in the nationwide No Kings protests against the Trump administration.
Organizers say nearly 3,000 people attended the rally in Flagstaff.
It was one of nearly 80 held across Arizona.
The atmosphere was boisterous as demonstrators chanted and waved signs at passing cars.
Many attendees said they were anxious and angry about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and war with Iran.
Tad Theimer dressed in an American Revolution-style military uniform.
He said members of his family served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and during the First and Second World Wars. But he’s disturbed that the war with Iran has entered its second month.
“We have no idea why we’re there. We don’t know how long we're going to be there. It is destruction — it is cruelty. That is what this administration is good at doing: destroying. They’re very bad at building, and the only things they build tend to line the pockets of the rich and make the poor poorer,” Theimer said.
Last week, local law enforcement Flagstaff and Coconino County officials said they’d received word that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was seeking office space in Flagstaff.
Dennis and Cathy Chavez said they’re worried for their safety at home in Flagstaff after news that federal immigration agents may soon be stationed in the city.
“We’re not illegal immigrants, but we are brown people and they don’t care anymore. You know, they’ll take us and figure it out two months later. That’s wrong. That’s wrong,” Dennis Chavez said.
Cathy Chavez echoed her husband's sentiment.
“We didn't think that ICE would be here, but now they're announcing that they're gonna be here, and it's scary to even go to the store, you know? Are they gonna be there? Are they gonna pick us up?” Cathy Chavez said. “It's scary for everybody here, not just the immigrants, not just the Mexicans, but everybody.”
Organizers say about 2,500 residents protested in Prescott Valley, while more than 3,000 people marched to the state Capitol in Phoenix.
An estimated 8 million people took part in more than 3,300 events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
