NEED TO KNOW
Americans around the nation participated in the “Free America Walkout” on Jan. 20, 2026, to protest Donald Trump’s presidency and his administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement.
“On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent,” the Free America movement’s website read.
The Free America Walkout was scheduled on the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, with the Washington, D.C., protest occurring while the president was in the White House briefing the press on his accomplishments.
Free America shared a list of “demands” on its website, like “home and health care for all” and “an end to kidnapping by ICE.” Demonstrators were urged to call their legislators, withhold from spending and to wear red, white and blue.
Leigh Vogel/Getty
One local organizer in Columbus said that, despite Ohio’s frigid weather conditions, she felt it was important for people who oppose Trump’s administration to show up for the day of action.
“We want to get more people to wake up, and we want to make sure we’re visible,” Martha Davis told The Columbus Dispatch. “It’s too easy to go about your day if it’s not really impacting you, so hopefully, we’re creating impact.”
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Free America plans to hold a mass “what comes next” call, ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
Leigh Vogel/Getty
Numerous anti-ICE protests have taken place around the country since the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The Free America Walkout marked a national day of action similar to the “No Kings Day” rallies that took place in July and October of 2025 as a means for the U.S. public to take a stand against Trump’s perceived “abuses of power.”
During the October “No Kings” effort, more than 2,500 protests were planned in large cities and small towns, with the hubs being Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, New York City, Houston, Honolulu, Boston, Kansas City, Bozeman, Chicago and New Orleans.
