More than 100 people gathered outside Richmond City Hall on Monday afternoon, urging city and state leaders to sever any cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a recent surge of arrests in the region.

For nearly an hour, chants and speeches in English and Spanish echoed over the sounds of Broad Street traffic as leaders from religious, social and immigrant groups condemned ICE arrests and called for immediate action.

“It is simply not enough for politicians to hold a press conference condemning actions taken by ICE without tangible plans to back it up,” said Fernanda Diaz-Castro of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality, who organized the rally. “We need to see elected officials take concrete measures to protect all community members.”

The rally included calls for laws banning coordination between local agencies and ICE, an end to covert ICE policing and surveillance methods such as Flock cameras — automated license plate readers that track vehicles’ movements — support for detained immigrants and their families, and the closure of detention centers in Virginia.

The rally was organized with endorsements from New Virginia Majority, Free Them All VA, the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights and others following multiple ICE arrests on July 30 in Richmond, including the deportation of Southwood resident Ricardo Martinez-Cantero.

Other ICE arrests have occurred across the metro area this summer, including several in Chesterfield County and a 19-year-old high school student in Henrico County, drawing criticism from local Democrats.

“All we want to do when we migrate is to work hard, find stability, to be with our families,” Martinez-Cantero said in a testimony read by Virginia Defenders member Ana Edwards. “This should not happen to anyone, we are just people.”

When asked for a response to organizers’ demands, Mayor Danny Avula said Richmond “does not and will not coordinate with ICE on deportation” and that he and the Richmond Police Department will continue to support local communities.

“Richmond must be a city where every resident should feel safe accessing city services, reporting crimes, and engaging with local government — regardless of immigration status,” Avula said.

Richmond City Council Chair Cynthia Newbille voiced her support for Avula and the RPD’s efforts to protect residents and visitors, saying “Richmond does not detain or arrest anyone due to immigration status,” but made clear that city government had no control over federal law enforcement.

Ice did not respond to requests for comment before publiction. Rally speakers and attendees vowed to step up and defend their communities if officials fail to take meaningful action. For Newport News natives Lei Syed and Shaila Ortiz, witnessing such strong solidarity on this and other issues was both emotional and affirming.

“This stuff impacts my community and it just made me want to cry,” Ortiz said, voice breaking and tears in her eyes, “because I feel like a lot of people don’t care, but they care.”