SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Protesters rallied outside a Tesla dealership in San Francisco Saturday to push back against federal immigration detention center plans.
Every Saturday, protesters gather outside the dealership near Highway 101 and Van Ness Avenue to voice opposition to the Trump administration.
The April 26 demonstration, however, took on a sharper focus. The rally, titled “Communities Not Cages,” coordinated by human rights activist Connie Jeung-Mills, centered on the well-being of migrant communities across the U.S.
“What I see is a hostile takeover of our country. I’m against it — lots of people here are against it,” said anti-Trump protester Myra Levy.
“Industrial warehouses to house immigrants is cruel and inhumane,” said Jeung-Mills. “There are a lot of people who can’t take the risk to be out here. All of us represent neighbors who can’t show up.”
Protesters are pushing back against federal plans to turn large warehouses into immigration detention centers.
As part of a major expansion of detention capacity, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have spent more than $1 billion to acquire 11 warehouses across eight states.
The proposal would convert those industrial spaces into facilities designed to hold thousands of immigrants.
“We just think that people deserve to be treated like human beings, no matter the color of their skin or what country they were born in, and deserve not to be bombed,” Levy said.
Blair Camp said he has been out every Saturday since 2025 protesting in front of the Tesla dealership.
“Because I believe in democracy, and I feel it’s important that people have the power, not oligarchs,” Camp said.
Protesters say it’s not about the number of people who show up, as long as people continue to come out.
“In San Francisco, people expect that every single person should be here or it’s not enough. That’s silly because a lot of people are working or doing other things,” Levy said. “We’re giving folks driving by an opportunity to express their support and their outrage.”
Protesters said they are encouraged by drivers honking in support.
“Like-minded people are out here with hundreds of different issues. Not everyone is the same, but everyone is oriented toward democracy, freedom and taking care of people,” Camp said.