Protesters were all over Longview and Kelso yesterday for what they called “ICE OUT a citywide protest of Trump’s secret police.”

Each of the five protest locations saw dozens of people gathered for a few hours in the afternoon holding signs with slogans like “No ICE in Longview,” “ICE is Trump’s Personal Gestapo,” “I Prefer Crushed ICE,” and “Stop Separating Families.”

The protest was organized by a group called Cascade Forward, a 50501 organization and No Kings Host.

In a prepared statement, one of the protesters said, “We are here because the community deserves safety. ICE creates fear, family separation, and instability. Protests like this make it clear that our community does not support these tactics and that we will stand with and respect our neighbors. We expect our local leaders and law enforcement to do the same—both by condemning the illegal kidnapping of people and ensuring that no assistance or cooperation is offered to ICE agents.”

The protest comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity has been up throughout the area with multiple arrests, including one reported Saturday morning on Ocean Beach Highway near Fred Meyer.