ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Chanting “No wars, no cages,” roughly 200 demonstrators wound their way through downtown Anchorage on Tuesday evening, venting frustration at both U.S. military campaigns abroad and immigration enforcement at home.
The rally, organized by the local anarchist-leaning No Kings Collective, began at Delaney Park before spilling onto Fourth Avenue outside the federal building that houses the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office. Waving handmade signs that read “From Gaza to the Border, End U.S. Violence,” marchers paused periodically for drum breaks and short speeches condemning last week’s $95 billion supplemental spending bill that steers additional American weaponry to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
“Alaska’s economy is deeply tied to the Pentagon, yet ordinary Alaskans get no say in where those bombs land,” organizer Eli Porter told the crowd through a portable speaker. Porter said the group wants state lawmakers to oppose the spending package and press Congress to redirect funds toward housing and climate resilience in the Arctic.
Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Austin McDaniel said officers monitored the march but reported “no arrests, citations or major disruptions.” Traffic was briefly diverted around L Street during the peak of the rush-hour procession.
Military issues resonate sharply in the state, which hosts Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the Army’s vast training grounds at Fort Wainwright. According to Defense Department data, Alaska has the nation’s second-highest active-duty presence per capita. That footprint, protesters argued, makes the state complicit in what they described as “forever wars.”
The rally’s second target, ICE, operates the 188-bed Alaska ICE Processing Center in Midtown. “The same surveillance tech used on migrants is exported to conflict zones,” claimed University of Alaska political scientist Dr. Irene Martin, referencing a 2022 Government Accountability Office report linking defense contractors to border-security contracts.
Business owners along the route expressed mixed reactions. “I respect their right to speak, but blocking my doorway doesn’t change policy,” said café manager Robert Key, who closed early after a surge of foot traffic.
No Kings organizers said they plan to deliver a petition to Alaska’s congressional delegation later this week and stage a “week of mutual-aid actions” if the supplemental package advances in the Senate.
Analysts note that while the protest is unlikely to shift federal spending, sustained local pressure could influence how Alaska’s lawmakers frame future defense appropriations. “Even in a pro-military state, constituents are asking tougher questions about the trade-offs,” said RAND Corporation defense economist Laura Cheng.
With House passage secured, the foreign-aid bill now heads for an expected Senate vote as early as Thursday. Whether the Anchorage march signals deeper opposition statewide may become clearer during upcoming Memorial Day town halls.