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More than a hundred people turned up for an emergency demonstration at Gateway Park in Mountain View Tuesday evening to protest the Trump administration and its refusal to return a Salvadoran national to the U.S. after mistakenly deporting him.
The impromptu rally was much smaller than the “Hands Off” demonstration on April 5, which drew thousands of people to Gateway Park as part of a nationwide movement protesting federal spending cuts and other actions by the Trump administration.
But while smaller in size, the crowds of people standing at the corners of El Camino Real and Castro Street on April 15 made a noticeable impression on passing motorists who honked their support during the rush hour commute.
“Jail Trump for contempt!” protesters chanted as they waved signs demanding the immediate return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported from the U.S. and is now being held at a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
The Trump administration says it is unable to repatriate Abrego Garcia, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the deportation was illegal and that the U.S. government should facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, according to the Associated Press.
Lenny Siegel, a longtime activist and former Mountain View City Council member, said he decided to organize the rally after watching the news Monday evening.
Less than 24 hours later, about 150 people showed up to Gateway Park protesting the Trump administration’s refusal to follow the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, as well as what they described as ongoing threats to democracy and the rule of law.
“I came out to defend the constitution,” said Rev. Amy Morgenstern, parish minister of Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto.
“Nobody is safe,” Morgenstern said, a sentiment shared by many demonstrators.
Karen Lemes, a Los Altos resident, said she came out to protest the Trump administration’s treatment of Abrego Garcia, which she saw as a direct affront to the U.S. Immigration Act of 1990 that provides protections for asylum seekers, including Salvadorans.
“This is terrible for me to see these human rights abuses,” Lemes said, adding that the rally was more tightly focused than previous ones she has attended.
Other protesters said they would be back for future demonstrations at Gateway Park, even on short notice.
“We can’t sleepwalk through what is happening,” said Sally Lieber, a longtime activist.
