The Denver branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is planning to gather on Saturday, February 8, at the Colorado State Capitol to protest deportations and raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration, set to start at 2 p.m., will include a march, according to PSL organizer Katie Leonard.
"It'll be a rally and a march to stand with our immigrant neighbors after raids have started this week in Aurora and Denver," Leonard says. "ICE is the bad guys in the streets. We are going to be out there until they leave our community."
According to ICE social media posts, the federal agency assisted the Drug Enforcement Administration in raids targeting more than 100 people with suspected ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) on Wednesday, February 5. ICE still hasn't announced how many people were arrested during those raids, including residents at the Edge of Lowry, the apartment complex at the center of fears of a TdA takeover in Aurora.
The Colorado Rapid Response Network confirmed at least four raids took place in Denver on Wednesday, while 9News reported at least seven raids across the metro area, including in Thornton and Arapahoe County.
The protest on February 8 will stand up against President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policy agenda, Leonard says. Here's how it will compare to the large gathering that came together for the Fifty State Protest on Wednesday, February 5.
A flyer for the protest that has been circulating around Denver and on social media.
Party for Socialism and Liberation
How Will Saturday Compare to the Fifty State Protest?
The PSL is hoping to "build on the momentum" of the Fifty State Protest in Denver on February 5 at the Colorado State Capitol. An estimated 5,000 people showed up at the Capitol throughout the day for the event, according to the Colorado State Patrol, and protested Trump's deportations and ICE raids. Before noon, protesters began marching through the streets of downtown Denver, and some stayed well past the planned 8 p.m. stop time.Three people were arrested at the protests: one for obstruction of traffic, one for criminal mischief and one for destruction of property, according to the Denver Police Department.
The Fifty State Protest succeeded despite being organized without a clear leader. Nationwide, word of the protest spread via social media.
Wednesday's protest was originally meant to take aim against Project 2025, a conservative policy plan written by the Heritage Foundation before Trump took office. Mexican and immigrant pride as well as anger with ICE took over as the main themes of Denver's Fifty State Protest, however, although LGBTQ rights were also a theme of the day.
Denver's PSL branch hadn't seen such large crowds of protesters since the George Floyd and Elijah McClain protests in 2020, Leonard says.
The focus of Saturday's protest is immigration, but Leonard invites anyone upset with "the Trump agenda, which includes attacks on LGBTQIA+ people, attacks on workers, on public education and other social programs," she says.
"While we're focusing on something that's really hitting home here right now, it is a fight against Trump's billionaire agenda. It's not just a fight against deportations," Leonard adds. "Everyone should come. Everyone should bring a friend."
"While we're focusing on something that's really hitting home here right now, it is a fight against Trump's billionaire agenda. It's not just a fight against deportations," Leonard adds. "Everyone should come. Everyone should bring a friend."
What is the Party for Socialism and Liberation?
According to the group's national website, PSL "exists to carry out the struggle for socialism inside the United States, the center of world capitalism and imperialism."Organizers from the Denver branch were involved in planning the Denver demonstrations in response to George Floyd's death while in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020. Later that year, the PSL organized protests against the state's response to Elijah McClain's death in Aurora in 2019.
Leonard says the energy and attendance at the Fifty State Protest was similar to what she remembers from 2020, but she's never seen residents organize a large protest by themselves.
"In 2020, there were large crowds, and I would say it's comparable," Leonard says. "But the people themselves are calling actions...this is somewhat unprecedented."
Since Trump was inaugurated on January 20, the PSL and its red-shirted members have helped organize several events supporting undocumented immigrants and opposing Trump.
The PSL was involved in the Aurora demonstration on January 25 to show solidarity against Trump, which brought out a couple hundred people. The PSL also organized a Know Your Rights training at the Shorter Community AME Church on February 3 that saw upwards of 1,800 people show up to learn how to act during ICE raids, according to Leonard.
"These are some of the larger crowds we've seen coming out into the streets, which has been really, really encouraging. It's pretty clear people are ready to come together and fight back," Leonard says. "Monday was an extremely strong showing from the community. The energy in there was unreal. Some of the older folks from Shorter AME were comparing it to Civil Rights-era meetings."
The PSL was present at the February 6 protests, where its members handed out colorful fliers to let people know about Saturday's event. The group plans to continue organizing protests and marches, Leonard says, adding that people can find details on upcoming events by following the group on Instagram or subscribing to its alerts channel on Telegram.
"We need to be out in the streets," Leonard says. "We also need to be coming together as a community to get organized so that we can fight back."
