EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Dozens of community activists marched down the streets of South El Paso and Downtown El Paso to honor civil rights idol César E. Chávez, and to protest the policies and actions of the Trump Administration.
The march happened on Monday, March 31, the federal holiday that honors Chavez.
“It’s a convergence of immigration and labor, something that Chavez dealt with directly. It’s also accentuated by the fact that it’s a human rights issue. And so right now, the Trump Administration has demonstrated itself to be a fascist force,” said Javier Miranda, a marcher and retired teacher from El Paso.
The Cesar Chavez Day March for Democracy and Against Fascism, as it was termed by organizers, was led by El Chuco Habla, a local group that says it is a non-partisan and grassroots coalition that was launched in December 2024 in response to the election Trump for a second term as president.
The march began at the corner of South Campbell Street and 6th Avenue in the Segundo Barrio neighborhood in South El Paso. Organizers first congregated by the mural depicting the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s.
The procession of marchers walked down 6th Avenue to El Paso Street, and then made its way north to San Jacinto Plaza in Downtown El Paso, where the march concluded. At the plaza, advocates from different backgrounds spoke on a stage to denounce Trump’s policies.
Advocates included farm and federal workers, immigrant advocates, teachers unions, LGBTQ and reproductive right advocates, and other human rights advocates.
They spoke out against Trump’s calls for massive deportations of undocumented immigrants, the retreat from DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) advances, the firing of members of the federal workforce, efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, cuts to social service programs and threats to free speech on college campuses.
They also called for people of the El Paso region to raise their voices.
The march was as much a protest of the Trump Administration as it was a celebration of Cesar Chavez Day.
The marchers gathered at San Jacinto were also treated to dance performances and live music.
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