ANCHORAGE, Alaska — About 120 demonstrators with the grassroots collective “No Kings” marched through downtown Anchorage on Sunday afternoon, briefly blocking traffic outside the federal building to protest what they called the city’s complicity in “war abroad and persecution at home,” according to organizers and police reports.
The rally, billed as “War and ICE,” demanded that the Anchorage Assembly reject any future municipal contracts with Texas-based private-prison firm GEO Group, which operates an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, and to pass a resolution opposing additional U.S. troop deployments to the Middle East. Protesters carried cardboard crowns splashed with red paint and chanted “No kings, no cages, no endless wars.”
Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Natalie Hayes said officers diverted traffic for about 20 minutes after the crowd sat in the intersection of Fourth Avenue and L Street. “There were no arrests and no injuries,” Hayes told reporters. “The group dispersed peacefully after issuing a statement.”
In that statement, No Kings organizer Charissa Lee accused city leaders of “turning a blind eye to unjust federal contracts while pouring resources into military recruiters who target our youth.” Lee said the coalition will lobby the Assembly during its April 2 meeting. City officials have not confirmed whether an ICE-related contract is pending. “We have not received or reviewed any new detention-service proposals,” municipal purchasing director Robert Wick emailed Alaska Public Media late Sunday.
The protest follows a week of heightened national debate over a White House supplemental request that would send an additional 3,000 troops to Iraq and Syria, as well as congressional negotiations on a $14 billion border-security package. Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation supports both measures. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office said in a statement that GEO Group “has no active contract with the state or municipalities in Alaska,” adding that “local governments are free to set their own procurement rules.”
Analysts say the demonstration reflects a broader shift among younger Alaskans who are increasingly aligning with national progressive movements. “You’re seeing cross-issue coalitions that link foreign policy to local economic justice in ways that were rare here a decade ago,” University of Alaska political scientist Marcos Perry said.
No Kings organizers promised additional civil-disobedience actions if the Assembly declines to take up their resolution. Meanwhile, conservative groups such as Stand Up Anchorage argue the city should avoid “symbolic posturing” and instead focus on homelessness and public safety. The debate is likely to surface during next month’s municipal election, where three Assembly seats are up for grabs.
Whether the protest gains policy traction remains uncertain, but observers say the coalition’s growing visibility could pressure candidates to clarify their positions on federal detention contracts and overseas deployments as early voting begins on March 29.