HAGERSTOWN, Md. – As many as 3,000 protesters filled the intersection of Washington and Potomac streets on Saturday as part of the nationwide network of 3,200 “No Kings” demonstrations, opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and plans for a large ICE detention center in nearby Williamsport.
Organizers described the turnout as one of the largest protests yet in western Maryland. Participants carried signs reading “No Kings, No Camps,” the event’s theme, while calling for democratic accountability and an end to the proposed facility.
Laura Spibak with Washington County Indivisible, which organized the Hagerstown event, said that Saturday’s rally was the largest of the three No Kings rallies in Washington County over the last year by a wide measure.
“It is important to make a big deal of today, of all the days, to show our leadership that lots of people really don’t want that [the detention facility],” Spibak told media present. “Not just like a couple of people that show up outside the commissioners’ meetings every Tuesday, but thousands of people.”
Spibak estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 people showed up Saturday, thanks to the Maryland Coalition to Stop the Camps, which encouraged protesters to come to Hagerstown from across the state because of the expedited purchase and conversion of an 825,000 square foot warehouse in Williamsport to an ICE detention center.
Michelle Beadle of the Coalition was among many speakers who made amplified remarks over a cacophony of chanting, singing, drumming and car horns honking in solidarity with the protesters.
“Friends from Washington County, we see you,” Beadle said. “We see how quickly you organized and rose up to meet this moment. We are here to say you do not stand alone. We all stand with you.”
Beadles described the federal proposal in strong terms. She called it part of a “diabolical scheme” to place what she termed a concentration camp in the county.
Patricia Barber, a naturalized American citizen from Sharpsburg, told LocalNews1 she felt driven to attend.
“I’m an immigrant. I’m a naturalized American,” Barber said. “This is not the country that I struggled to become a citizen of. It’s really important to stand up for true justice, truth, and responsibility towards all of our citizens. And also, no ICE detention centers in Washington County.”
“This is not the America I signed up for,” Barber said.
Saturday’s protest formed part of a broader national movement and among the larger events in Maryland. Similar “No Kings” events took place in Baltimore, Frederick, Germantown and dozens of other locations across the state.
Former U.S. Rep. David Trone, who is running for his old seat representing Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which he gave up to run for the Senate in 2024, said unity is key to making the rally have real impact.
“All of us come from different places in America, but we have to stand together,” Trone said. “This is not about kings. We can’t have a king. We can’t have a dictator. We have to have a democracy of the people.”
“Over a thousand people here today,” he said. “I just came from Germantown and there are 400 people out there. Same thing in Frederick. So the whole district’s uniting together.”
Delaney Blubaugh of U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks’ office, who addressed the crowd representing the senator, expressed support for the demonstrators.
“Senator Alsobrooks will be proud to see so many people out here keeping up the fight and keeping up the faith in the face of this administration,” Blubaugh said. “We’re ready to keep up the fight and keep the faith.”
The Hagerstown event focused heavily on the proposed 1,500-bed detention center. Federal officials plan to convert a massive warehouse in Williamsport for Immigration and Customs Enforcement use.
More than a dozen advocacy groups, led locally by Hagerstown Rapid Response, have mobilized quickly against the project. They argue it would strain community resources and contradict local values.
Protesters chanted slogans against executive overreach. Many viewed the rally as a direct stand against perceived authoritarian tendencies.
The demonstration remained peaceful throughout the day. City police manning the periphery of the intersection said the event was peaceful and no arrests were reported despite the large gathering and occasional passing vehicles bearing Trump flags and posters taped to the side, some blasting the 1990 hit song “Ice, Ice, Baby” from their speakers.
Advocates from justice groups and nonprofits joined forces for the day. They came from across Maryland and neighboring states to show solidarity.
Washington County officials previously approved a resolution supporting the ICE facility. That decision sparked earlier protests and ongoing opposition.
Trone’s appearance added a political element to the event. He is challenging Rep. April McClain Delaney in the 2026 Democratic primary for the congressional seat.
Participants endured cool March weather to make their voices heard. Many said they planned to continue advocacy efforts in the coming months.
The rally combined anti-Trump messaging with specific local concerns. Opposition to the detention center gave the event particular resonance in this conservative county.
Organizers encouraged continued public engagement, urging residents to stay involved in the fight against the proposed facility as preparations for its opening face legal and technical challenges.
