'Communities Not Cages': 150+ Anti-ICE Warehouse Detention Rallies Held Across 33 States

Coordinated protests under the banner 'Communities Not Cages' took place across the United States on April 25, 2026, with over 150 events confirmed in at least 33 states. The national day of action was organized by the Detention Watch Network, Disappeared in America campaign (Not Above the Law coalition), Indivisible, MoveOn, Public Citizen, and the Workers Circle, specifically targeting the Trump administration's $38 billion plan to convert industrial warehouses into mass immigration detention centers. The DHS expansion plan envisions a 100,000+ bed network — up from the current ~60,000 — through acquisition or conversion of approximately 23 warehouses nationwide, each designed to hold 1,500 to 10,000 people. Community organizers reported that local activists had already successfully blocked 13 proposed warehouse conversions across the country by April 2026, while DHS had spent $1.074 billion on 11 warehouse conversion contracts. DHS Secretary Mullin had announced a pause on new warehouse purchases following earlier public pressure campaigns. Protests were held in DeKalb, IL; St. Augustine, FL; Madison, WI; Westfield, MA; Issaquah and Spokane, WA; multiple Arizona cities (Surprise, Flagstaff, Mesa); and Maryland locations (Arlington, Springfield, Germantown, Silver Spring, Hagerstown). Key demands from organizers: visible public opposition to ICE detention expansion before DHS can 'quietly expand detention capacity without public awareness' and calls for elected officials to use every available tool to block conversion permits and deny public funding for detention expansion.