Being the center of attention isn’t a Minnesota specialty.
But Minnesotans clearly embraced having the nation’s attention at the “No Kings” rally on Saturday as thousands of them stood unified in opposition to President Donald Trump.
Those in attendance appeared so unified that, when asked to take a moment of silence, it really was quiet. Crowd size was difficult to estimate but ranged from 100,000-200,000, depending on the source.
They came bearing images that have become icons of the resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), like whistles used to call for help and monarch butterflies that embody the right to migrate across borders.
In many ways, the spring rally acted as a communal catharsis following Operation Metro Surge – and a stark reminder for the discontented crowd that the federal government’s immigration enforcement agenda hasn’t changed.
Here are some of the images we captured and the people we spoke to.
Amy Speare and Emmanuel Speare, along with their three children, pose for a portrait before marching from St. Paul College Saturday. “This is me putting my foot down,” said Mr. Speare.
Mrs. Speare shared a story about their 5-year-old daughter who asked if her mother was alive “when the brown skin people weren’t able to go to the grocery store.”
“We talked about how that was a horrible thing, and how people marched and changed the rules, and changed the laws, and made it so that doesn’t happen,” Mrs. Speare said. “And then she asked, ‘Will they change the laws back?’”
That’s why she said the family protested that day: “to make sure that they don’t change the laws back.”
As with the city of Minneapolis, it was impossible to miss the faces Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Saturday’s march. Federal agents fatally shot both Good and Pretti while they observed immigration enforcement actions in January.
Related: Photos from the October “No Kings” protest in Minneapolis
Organizers chose Minnesota for their flagship march nationally largely because of the state’s response to immigration enforcement. Over 3,000 “No Kings” protests took place across the country on Saturday.
Mark Sackett and his dog, Penny, pose for a portrait while sitting outside the Minnesota State Capitol. “I’m just so proud of Minnesota,” he said, saying typically, the state would “never want to be on the national stage for something like this.”
Despite its relatively recent release after the killings of Good and Pretti, many in the crowd on Saturday appeared to already know the words to “Streets of Minneapolis” when Bruce Springsteen preformed it.
Springsteen warmly greeted Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, as he got on stage.
Madeline, of St. Paul, wears a dinosaur costume while protesting during the “No Kings” march on Saturday. The 10-year-old joined her mother and aunt with tens of thousands of protesters.
Others on the long and high-profile list of attendees included Joan Baez, Jane Fonda and Maggie Rogers. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also appeared, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.
Cousins Craig Pierce, left, and Kari Pearson stand for a portrait at the protest. “We just really share the same values, and beliefs and worldview that it’s really important to show up,” Pearson said, adding that their presence wasn’t optional. Chase said the two joined in solidarity with everyone else representing Minnesota at the gathering. “This is the responsibility of citizens,” he said.
A child, holding a “No Kings” sign and an American flag, joins protesters to watch the action while elevated in a tree. People perched on steps, children on parents’ shoulders and stood on highway overpasses to get a glimpse of the program happening on the steps of the Capitol.
Ryan, left, his daughter Olivia, center, and wife Karen, who declined to give their last names, pose for a portrait while protesting. “We just wanted to stand up for democracy,” Ryan said. “I feel that a lot of our rights are being taken away from us.”
Marchers were seen wearing frog costumes, as has become customary at protests denouncing the Trump administration’s actions. Full-body narwhal, bananas and more were spotted in the crowd. Many children joined their families.
Stephanie Rathsack, 34, of Faribault, waved to passing cars while holding the Minnesota state flag. Rathsack, who said she traveled to the Twin Cities to join the fight against fascism, has been joining protests since early 2025. “I’m just really proud of our state, and we’ve been through so so much, and I could not be prouder of all the people that are here and all the people that just make up our beautiful place where we live,” she said. “We are still here, we are still strong and we are going to keep fighting no matter what they throw at us.”
