An estimated 800 demonstrators returned to downtown Iowa City Saturday, April 19 two weeks after the initial “Hands Off!” protest April 5. This protest was partially in response to the recent deportations of immigrants to a mega-prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has deported over 200 immigrants, despite legal orders for the immigrants to stay. This includes Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported despite legal protection.

The protest involved nine different speakers covering local and national issues. Eric Kusiak, a nurse at the University of Iowa hospital, spoke about a new state law that would set a minimum number of work hours to qualify for Iowa’s Medicaid plan. He claimed that the lack of health insurance caused by this new law would shut down hospitals, flood operating hospitals and increase wait times across the state.

“I think being a nurse [and] seeing what is happening to our healthcare system and our patients statewide and nationwide has me concerned. Seeing the possibility of entire hospital systems closing down, like the [Veterans Affairs] or rural communities. Those patients have to go somewhere, so other systems have to hold those patients up. And, if they’re not able to, it exacerbates that problem,” Kusiak said.

In addition to speeches on recent state and national policy, the protest also focused on the value of peaceful protest to start social change. It involved a symbolic march around a small area of downtown Iowa City and live music from two members of Pigs and Clover, a local activist band. Matt Kearney, the main singer and guitar player, was mainly concerned about the powers being claimed by the current administration and the threat they might pose to due process.

“It’s just standard anti-fascism. [It’s about] separation of church and state, human rights, science, checks and balances, women’s rights [and] minority rights,” Kearney said.

Both Saturday’s protest and the earlier April 5 protest were organized by Indivisible, a local leftist activist group. While the main organizer, Sue Thompson, doesn’t plan to organize more public demonstrations, the speakers did directly reference another protest planned for May 1. This protest would focus on workers’ unions and the treatment of immigrants under the new administration.