NOTE: Photos from protests in other Oregon cities have been added to this report.

Thousands of people swarmed to the Capitol on Saturday to participate in the nationwide “No Kings” protests, with many expressing grave concern that the Trump administration is trampling constitutional rights and eroding democracy.   

The protests occurred on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and corresponded with the largest military parade in decades in the nation’s capital, a parade estimated to cost $45 million. 

The protests also come in the wake of mass civil unrest in Los Angeles and across the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. The protests in Los Angeles in recent days, some turning violent, were exacerbated after the government deployed thousands of California National Guard troops.

The protest officially began at noon and ended at 3 p.m. Saturday, but hundreds were already gathered along Center Street and clustered around a number of informational booths and resource tents before 12 p.m. 

As the day went on, the crowd swelled to an estimated 5,000 people, making the demonstration one of the largest in recent Salem history. 

The heavy foot traffic led the Salem Police Department to eventually shut down street traffic near the protest but all road closures were lifted as the demonstration wound down, according to the department’s X account. There have been no reports of property damage or violence. 

The protest set up on Northeast Center Street, with sign-carrying protesters lined for blocks. 

Signs aired a diversity of grievances with some saying, “Defend the Rule of Law,” “Dump Trump” and “Chinga la Migra,” which loosely translates from Spanish as “Screw Immigration officials.” 

Some people chanted, “ICE off our streets!” 

The crowd on Saturday was diverse with protesters of varying ages, ethnic backgrounds, and national origin. Families with children and grandparents were a common sight. Street vendors sold grilled hot dogs, and a group of musicians played under a canopy. 

There were no counter protesters and a small police presence, with only a handful of Salem officers directing traffic at intersections. 

Protesters expressed concern with how police have dealt with protests in Los Angeles. 

“What really frightens me is you see the videos of peaceful protesters like we are today being hauled off to jail, being beaten with sticks, being shot at with rubber bullets,” said Michele Scalise of Salem. “Then what’s next? Is it going to be rubber bullets? Or are they going to just start taking us all out?” 

Scalise, who is the daughter of an immigrant, said even though she is a U.S. citizen she is concerned by the indiscriminate raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

“I worry. I don’t know. Just even coming down here and saying this. It’s like, ‘Am I going to get shipped off back to where my mom came from, from the Philippines, even though I was born here, and they’ll find out later?” Scalise said. “There is no due process. We are next…they are coming for anybody next.” 

Scalise’s partner, Tim Gogl, worries that the developments in Los Angeles mean difficult times ahead closer to home. 

“What’s happening in California is not OK. And Oregon is next,” Gogl said. 

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a second-term Democrat whose 6th Congressional District includes Salem, gave an impassioned speech before throngs of cheering protesters. 

“We are here because we live in a democratic republic. And what that means is co-equal governance. Right now, the Republicans in Congress are abdicating that co-equal branch of Congress to Donald Trump,” Salinas told Salem Reporter as her aides whisked her towards a vehicle. “That is not how our constitution was set up. We cannot give up our representation. I represent the Sixth District of Oregon. That means almost 800,000 individuals that live here. I represent all of them whether they voted for me or not. My Republican colleagues in Congress are allowing Donald Trump to dictate the agenda, to dictate the violence, to dictate the hate. We can’t stand for it. And what is at stake here? Is our republic.” 

Adam Schrecengost of Salem served in the U.S. Army for 11 years and arrived at the protest on Saturday partially dressed in uniform. He said he chose not to wear his full uniform because he did not want other protesters to mistake him for an immigration enforcement officer. He said the developments in Los Angeles made him ashamed to wear his full uniform. 

“At this point we are sending militarized people in after our citizens. It wasn’t about just policing up what the governor needed help with, it was about intimidation. It was about going in there and threatening them with militarized forces,” Schrecengost said. “You are tainting what the flag means. You are tainting what the uniform meant. We serve and protect the people of the United States or America. It’s in our oath.” 

For Jene Flores of Monmouth, it is fear that her relatives feel after nearly getting deported that brought her to the state’s capital to protest. Saturday was her first time protesting in Salem, she said. 

“For me it’s all the fear. I get motivated when I see all the fear. That doesn’t scare me,” Flores said. “That’s my motivation.”

VIDEO: Thousands join Salem’s “No Kings” demonstration. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)

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What to know about Saturday’s “No Kings” protest at the State Capitol

NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Joe Siess at [email protected].

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