What to know about Tuesday’s ICE protest at Austin City Hall

Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7.

A coalition of local organizers is planning a protest Austin City Hall Tuesday afternoon as part of a nationwide “Free America” walkout marking one year since President Donald Trump began his second term.

The rally, named “ICE Out of ATX,” is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 301 W. Second St. Organizers say they will deliver a petition to city officials calling for an end to local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

More than 9,000 people have signed the petition in less than a week, according to organizers. Protesters are calling on the Austin City Council and Austin Police Department to stop handing people over to ICE by serving administrative warrants.

Organizers encouraged participants to walk out of work or school to disrupt “the normal routines of power.”

The walkout is part of a coordinated national action organized by the Women’s March Network and dozens of partner groups. Across the country, more than 1,200 walkouts were planned, with more than 44,000 people registered to participate, according to organizers.

Organizers framed the protest as a response to what they described as an “escalating fascist threat,” citing immigration raids, military deployments in cities, mass surveillance and attacks on marginalized communities.

“One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat,” the group wrote on its website. “This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.”

Who will be performing and speaking?

Tuesday’s event will feature live music from local artists including Vanessa Lively, Mark Williams, Akins Adderley, Stefanie Fix, Estani Frizzell, Hope Irish, Amethyst Jonquille and Jessica Graves.

Scheduled speakers include Chas Moore of the Austin Justice Coalition, Rae Martinez of the Transgender Education Network of Texas, and Kate Lincoln Goldfinch of Lincoln Goldfinch Law. Organizers said Austin Sanctuary Network and Grassroots Leadership have been invited to bring speakers directly impacted by ICE enforcement in Central Texas.

The event schedule includes live music from 2 to 2:30 p.m., community speakers from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and a petition delivery to city officials at 3:30 p.m.