Hundreds gather in Moore Square, march in Raleigh opposing ICE, Trump administration

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday for a rally in Moore Square prior to a march in downtown Raleigh opposing immigration enforcement actions, as well as other measures on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's second term in office.

"If we don't get him out of office soon, we're entering into a massive geopolitical conflict, which I mean where would we go if we had to flee? And I'm just ashamed of what's happened, and how we look to the rest of the world. I just want to prove to everybody that there are good people here still and we don't want this," said Jessica Osburn, who traveled in from Holly Springs.

"If (people in Minnesota) can go out in ten (degrees) below (zero), then I can come out in 30 degrees and support stopping ICE," said Mike Kahleck, who is originally from Minnesota.

The Army veteran is disturbed by immigration enforcement actions in his home state.

"We're not against going after people who have broken the law and are really bad people. But that's not what's going on in Minnesota," said Kahleck.

"It's too violent. It's too sweeping. It's being done by people who have absolutely this much training," added Mary Gaines.

Osburn also expressed worries over cuts to Medicaid. KFF estimates North Carolina will see a reduction of $23 billion in federal funding over the next decade.

"There are so many people who rely on our safety nets and rely on being able to get decent, affordable insurance if they don't have it through their employer and they'll just be a massive health care crisis, people will delay getting care because they can't afford it," Osburn said.

Protestors also criticized the administration's foreign policy decisions.

"I was a soldier under NATO and this last thing with attacking (Greenland) or wanting to take over (Greenland) is driving me nuts," Kahleck said.

People started gathering in Moore Square shortly before 5:00, before a series of speeches finished just after 6:00. From there, they marched towards the Old Capitol for a second event featuring speeches, prior to marching down Fayetteville Street and back towards Moore Square prior to dispersing around 7:15. Both events, as well as the march, were peaceful.

ABC11 has reached out to the City of Raleigh and Raleigh Police to learn if organizers held permits for the event and how many officers patrolled the protest, but have not received a response as of Tuesday night.

While Tuesday's protest featured President Trump's detractors, Congressman Mark Harris praised the administration.

"When you look at the things that this president inherited with inflation under Biden being through the roof, when you look at the invasion we saw happening on our southern border and the untold millions that were allowed just to come in and now we're at a point that I mean, it's been next to zero, the number of people that are able to get across the border illegally," said Harris, a Republican who represents the state's 8th District.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the inflation rate has dropped from 3% in January 2025 to 2.7% in December 2025, though had reached as low as 2.3% in April 2025.

In October, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported the lowest number of border encounters in any October, as well as the lowest start to a fiscal year ever recorded.

"President Trump has probably done more than any other Republican president over the first 365 days that he's been in office, that we could have ever, ever imagined and ever hope for," Harris shared.

In November, North Carolina was the target of immigration enforcement actions as part of Operation Charlotte's Web, in which hundreds of people were arrested.

"We've got to recognize this as law enforcement. We need to allow them to do their job and to take these criminals off the street," said Harris.

He cited a recent deadly crash in Rowan County, in which Juan Aguilar is accused of striking and killing two people while driving under the influence. Aguilar, now facing an ICE detainer, is charged with DWI and felony death by vehicle.

In a post on X, House Speaker Destin Hall highlighted the case, writing:

The lives of Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza were senselessly taken by an illegal alien driving while impaired. He had no business being in our country and two more young lives have been stolen by open border policies.

"There's two innocent lives that have been lost right in our backyard in North Carolina," said Harris.