Protesters Gather Near Little Rock Airport to Condemn ICE Actions

(LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS) Approximately 20 people gathered outside the Homeland Security office at the Little Rock Federal Building on October 18, 2025, joining a coast-to-coast day of action under the banner of the No Kings 2.0 demonstration to protest immigration enforcement and policies under President Trump. Participants said their small crowd was one part of a sweeping effort, citing roughly 3,000 events nationwide on the same day, and framed the gathering as a stand against what they called illegal government overreach and the mistreatment of immigrants and protesters.

The No Kings 2.0 protest in Little Rock unfolded on the plaza around the federal complex, with Arkansans voicing opposition to what they described as “illegal and unconstitutional activities to take away Americans freedoms,” including the use of military and National Guard forces against civilians and the “brutal treatment of protesters and immigrants by ICE.” Demonstrators emphasized both the local stakes and the national scale, linking their presence in downtown Little Rock to the broader No Kings 2.0 network active across U.S. cities the same day.

Several participants said they came because they wanted a visible, local response to federal actions they view as eroding civil liberties. One protester stated:

“This is part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration and their illegal and unconstitutional activities to take away Americans freedoms. And it’s this is one of about 3,000 protests today across the country”.

The emphasis on a coordinated national push ran through the afternoon, with speakers pointing to the volume of No Kings 2.0 events as proof that concern over immigration enforcement and the use of force had spread far beyond major coastal cities.

Many attendees leaned on the No Kings 2.0 message to argue that immigration and policing policies touch all communities. Another participant emphasized the broad impact:

“It’s important that we bring everybody together. This is a black problem. It is a white problem. It is a Hispanic problem. It’s an Asian problem. It’s a Native American problem. It is not just one group. It’s everybody. This is America. We are a melting pot. This country was created for that purpose. We cannot go back the way we were”.

That message—rooted in inclusion and shared responsibility—drew nods and applause from the small circle outside the Little Rock Federal Building, where demonstrators took turns speaking and listening.

The gathering also served as a platform for calls directed squarely at Arkansas officials. Protesters urged the state’s congressional delegation, the governor, and the legislature to “start listening to the people of Arkansas” and not “rubber stamp everything [Trump] wants to do.” They looked beyond elected officials too, pressing leaders of corporations, nonprofits, and schools to “consider both sides of these issues and not just cave into Trump.” Organizers and speakers aligned those appeals with the broader No Kings 2.0 demonstration, arguing that state and local decision-makers have as much responsibility as federal agencies when it comes to how policies are carried out and interpreted on the ground.

In addition to criticizing the federal government’s reliance on security forces in civil settings, protesters focused on the treatment of immigrants and protesters by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Demonstrators said their concerns encompassed both day-to-day enforcement and the handling of protests, describing it as part of a wider push by authorities to restrict speech and assembly. Several participants connected those concerns to language used around immigration legislation, criticizing what they referred to as “Trump’s so-called one big beautiful bill,” which they called “the big ugly bill.” To them, that phrase captured their wider objection to policy proposals they believe would broaden enforcement at the expense of due process and civil rights.

Speakers highlighted personal motivations for turning up at the Little Rock Federal Building, saying the No Kings 2.0 demonstration offered a chance to act rather than watch. A protester described their motivation:

“My whole concept all my life has been trying to make a difference in this country. I’m here to at least voice my opinion along with friends of mine to see if we can make a difference in what’s going on. Their time is can’t be silent anymore. We have to step up”.

That appeal to step forward resonated through the comments, with attendees repeating that even a small crowd in Little Rock mattered when combined with the thousands of gatherings elsewhere.

Although about 20 people assembled at the Homeland Security office in Little Rock, participants framed the turnout as the point rather than the problem: a local imprint of a national message. The No Kings 2.0 organizers cast the entire day as proof that communities far from Washington were paying attention to the details of immigration enforcement and how power is exercised in public spaces. For Arkansans present on the plaza, it meant their voices would sit alongside those from hundreds of other towns in the count of roughly 3,000 demonstrations.

The focus on civil liberties threaded through the speeches, with multiple participants saying the right to speak and assemble was under strain. References to the use of the military and National Guard against civilians recurred as a warning line, a sign to attendees that the boundaries between public safety and suppression could be crossed. Protesters linked that worry to what they described as suppression of freedom of speech, arguing that local actions like standing outside a federal building—even with only a few dozen people—asserted a basic right at a moment they believed it was being curtailed.

The Little Rock Federal Building played a symbolic and practical role in the demonstration. It offered a visible focal point—home to the Homeland Security office—where protesters said federal power feels tangible. It also provided a familiar public spot for Arkansans who wanted to tether the No Kings 2.0 effort to a specific place in the city. That choice of location underscored the aim of stitching together local sites into a single national patchwork, so that the No Kings 2.0 demonstration would be recognized as a coordinated statement rather than a series of isolated rallies.

Beyond the immediate crowd, protesters said their message was intended for people who were not present, urging them to “keep resisting in whatever way they can.” The appeals widened to business and civic leaders as well, with calls for corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions to examine policy choices through multiple lenses. Demonstrators said the point was not simply to oppose but to compel decision-makers to test assumptions and vetoes, to consider consequences for communities across Arkansas. They argued that this is where the national and local meet: policies written at the federal level and choices implemented close to home.

The demonstration’s national context was a constant theme. Anti-ICE protests have spread throughout the United States in 2025, and participants in Little Rock underscored that their effort was part of that diffuse map. They leaned on the number of concurrent events—about 3,000—to argue that a wide array of communities, not just those on the coasts or in large cities, share their concerns. In their telling, the scale signals not simply opposition to one policy or agency, but the convergence of many different groups under the No Kings 2.0 umbrella.

As the event wound down, calls to Arkansas’s congressional delegation, governor, and legislature were repeated, with protesters insisting that elected officials break with what they described as automatic support for the administration. Those on the plaza said they want meetings, hearings, and public statements that reflect the concerns they raised—about how immigrants are treated, how dissent is policed, and how power is assigned and checked. They argued that the Little Rock Federal Building, a venue of authority, was the right place to make both practical demands and broader points about who gets heard.

While the Little Rock crowd was small, the No Kings 2.0 demonstration relied on the same premise in every location: local visibility feeding into national momentum. Participants said the day’s purpose was to pair a familiar Arkansas setting with a shared nationwide script, one that warns about the use of state power in civil life and charges that immigration enforcement has crossed lines. The protesters said the details matter—the people in front of a federal office, the count of similar gatherings, the words they chose to describe legislation—because those specifics tell the story they want officials to hear.

By early evening, the group’s message had been laid out in clear, repeated points. They said they showed up to oppose “illegal and unconstitutional activities to take away Americans freedoms,” to condemn what they called “brutal treatment of protesters and immigrants by ICE,” and to insist that leaders at every level reconsider their approach. For those who spoke, the No Kings 2.0 demonstration in Little Rock was as much about being counted as being heard, a pledge to keep returning to places like the Little Rock Federal Building and to keep pressing the same questions until they see changes in policy and practice.