Bethlehem No Kings rally draws more than 1,000 amid fears of ICE, deportation

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — More than 1,000 demonstrators packed the Bethlehem Rose Garden and the sidewalks surrounding it Saturday afternoon for No Kings Palooza, a protest-and-festival event organized by Indivisible Lehigh Valley Bethlehem as part of a nationwide day of action against the policies of the Trump administration.

The event, held from 3 to 5 p.m. at 725 8th Ave., was part of No Kings III, a coordinated effort by the progressive organizing group Indivisible that drew more than 3,000 demonstrations across the country and abroad.

Organizers expected roughly 9 million participants nationwide, a figure the movement described as potentially the largest single-day domestic political protest in U.S. history.

Speakers addressed themes of immigration, belonging and civic resistance. Live music, poetry slams, colonial reenactors and a children’s activity area rounded out the afternoon.

State Rep. Ana Tiburcio, a Democrat who won the 22nd House District seat in a Feb. 24 special election, was a last-minute addition to the speakers’ list. Speaking in English and Spanish, Tiburcio drew on her family’s story to frame the stakes of the moment.

“My story starts with my grandmother,” Tiburcio said. “She was the first to lead the way for our family to come to this nation because of our courage.”

Tiburcio, who came to the United States as an infant, said fear had become palpable in immigrant communities across her district — including among children.

“It’s hard to have parents say, ‘I took my kids out of school because I’m afraid that ICE is gonna come in and take my child,’” she said.

In a brief interview after her remarks, Tiburcio said the anxiety had reached her own home. Her daughter had come to her asking whether the family had a green card to lend to a friend facing deportation.

“For me to explain that to her,” Tiburcio said, “yes, I understand that knowledge is power and you should always educate your children on everything that’s going on. But she’s saying it out of fear that her friends will be sent back to their country.”

Those fears reflect a year of heightened ICE activity in the Lehigh Valley. In June 2025, federal immigration agents arrested 17 workers repairing a fire-damaged apartment building at the Five10 Flats complex in South Bethlehem on alleged immigration violations. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said those arrested faced immigration violations.

The operation drew at least a thousand demonstrators to the streets outside the complex and to City Hall. Bethlehem’s population of 78,000 is roughly 30% Latino or Hispanic.

Tiburcio said she resigned from the Allentown School Board last week after winning her House seat, saying she could accomplish more for schools as a state representative than she could from the board. She said her priorities include housing affordability, education and financial literacy.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk also addressed the crowd, describing the questions he hears most from constituents amid national political tensions.

“People are asking, ‘What can I do right now?’” Tuerk said.

Tuerk, who took office in January 2022 as the first Latino mayor in Allentown’s history, encouraged attendees to stay engaged by attending rallies, voting and building broader coalitions. Allentown’s population is approximately 54% Hispanic or Latino.

“We have to make sure that this crowd continues to show up,” he said. “Make sure you’re seen and heard.”

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds did not attend the event. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The concerns at Saturday’s event come amid a shifting local policy landscape on immigration enforcement. Allentown City Council voted unanimously in February 2025 to codify the city’s existing policy against police collaboration with ICE and to direct the administration to pursue welcoming city certification through the nonprofit Welcoming America.

Bethlehem and Easton have resisted adopting similar policies, though officials in both cities have said they maintain a welcoming approach to their communities.

Karina Ritter-Santana, an immigrant, activist and self-described differently abled person, delivered some of the most pointed remarks of the afternoon, arguing that the current administration deliberately singles out marginalized groups to weaken them.

“I belong to so many,” she said. “I am an immigrant woman of color, proudly. I am queer, I am differently abled, and I’m an activist.”

Ritter-Santana told the crowd that belonging — not documentation — defined her relationship to this country.

“After many years belonging in this land, there is not one document that can express in its totality how much of an American I am,” she said.

Deirdre Van Walters, a poet, actor, playwright, and U.S. Army veteran who serves as president of Basement Poetry, offered two spoken-word performances that touched on ancestral identity, the limits of institutional education, and self-definition.

“I’m asking you to take a deep look in the mirror — the mirror of your soul, the very root of you,” Van Walters said.

Community members said current events drove them to attend. Liz, of Fountain Hill, said she hoped sustained protests would lead to policy changes on immigration enforcement and U.S. military action abroad.

“I’m hoping that ICE will be removed,” she said. “I’m hoping that the war in Iran will stop.”

Kate, a Bethlehem resident, said she came in opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies.

“We need to protest to make sure that politicians understand that we’re not going to accept this,” she said.

The festival format was a deliberate shift from the group’s previous marches — held June 14 and Oct. 18, 2025 — after the October march moved into the street, which required police barricades and additional officers along the route at an estimated cost of $10,000.

Saturday’s event kept attendees in the park, with protesters lining the surrounding sidewalks along three heavily traveled arteries — Union Boulevard, Broad Street and 8th Avenue — to maximize visibility to passing drivers. Four officers managed traffic at busy intersections.

Live music by Bill Medei, the Gospel Choir of the Lehigh Valley and Poor Man’s Gambit kept the crowd inside connected to protesters on the sidewalks through call-and-response chanting.

The event was co-sponsored by the Lehigh County, Northampton County and Bethlehem City Democratic committees, For Our Future PA and the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats.

Residents with concerns about ICE activity in the area can reach the Lehigh Valley Emergency Response Network hotline at (610) 850-9930.