Thousands of demonstrators filled Downtown Richmond streets Saturday, marching from Capitol Square to Monroe Park as part of a nationwide series of “Hands Off” protests held in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The demonstrations targeted President Trump and billionaire tech executive Elon Musk, criticizing their influence over politics, social media and civil rights.

The Virginia chapter of 50501, which has organized several issue-specific protests in recent months, used this march to raise awareness about anti-immigrant policies implemented by the Trump administration, according to 50501 organizer Kienan Chung.

Anne Marks, who attended the march, said she’s concerned about minorities — including immigrants and women — losing their rights under the Trump administration. The daily news makes her blood boil, she said, and she felt she needed to get out of the house and take action.

“The biggest thing about going to the march is showing him that we do care and this is not okay. Whoever wants to not tell you it’s fine. It’s not,” Marks said.

Protest signs and chants at the march expressed concern for Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University who is currently held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center after the State Department revoked his student visa.

Lauren Natale, who previously organized a protest against Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his support of Trump and attended the march as a bike marshal, said that deportation without due process puts all Americans at risk.

“Even non-citizens on our soil are entitled to the protections of the Constitution,” Natale said. “And many of us don’t understand that. We are not aware that the rights of the Constitution apply to everybody.”

During a speech, Josué Castillo, who works for an advocacy organization called New Virginia Majority, said that immigrants involved in advocacy were invited to participate in the protest, but many only felt comfortable expressing themselves anonymously.

“The truth is, when we’ve talked to our members, they’re scared. They know that there’s been attacks on immigrants for expressing their freedom of speech,” Castillo said.

According to the Virginia Department of Social Services, approximately 12.5% of Virginia residents are immigrants. Andrew White, an independent candidate for governor, emphasized this point in his speech.

“Nearly one-tenth of our state budget is paid for by their hard work. Many will go on to start their own businesses, creating jobs for us all. Even undocumented immigrants pay taxes and they will never see any benefits from it,” White said.

The march, which stretched down Main Street, paused traffic both ways on Belvidere Street for about 15 minutes. There were no significant issues reported from the event, according to statements from Capitol Police and the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department.