Being the center of attention isn’t a Minnesota specialty.

But Minnesotans clearly embraced having the nation’s attention at the “No Kings” rally on Saturday as thousands of them stood unified in opposition to President Donald Trump. 

Those in attendance appeared so unified that, when asked to take a moment of silence, it really was quiet. Crowd size was difficult to estimate but ranged from 100,000-200,000, depending on the source.

They came bearing images that have become icons of the resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), like whistles used to call for help and monarch butterflies that embody the right to migrate across borders. 

In many ways, the spring rally acted as a communal catharsis following Operation Metro Surge – and a stark reminder for the discontented crowd that the federal government’s immigration enforcement agenda hasn’t changed. 

Here are some of the images we captured and the people we spoke to. 

Amy Speare and Emmanuel Speare, along with their three children, pose for a portrait before marching from St. Paul College Saturday. “This is me putting my foot down,” said Mr. Speare.

Mrs. Speare shared a story about their 5-year-old daughter who asked if her mother was alive “when the brown skin people weren’t able to go to the grocery store.”

“We talked about how that was a horrible thing, and how people marched and changed the rules, and changed the laws, and made it so that doesn’t happen,” Mrs. Speare said. “And then she asked, ‘Will they change the laws back?’”

That’s why she said the family protested that day: “to make sure that they don’t change the laws back.”

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As with the city of Minneapolis, it was impossible to miss the faces Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Saturday’s march. Federal agents fatally shot both Good and Pretti while they observed immigration enforcement actions in January.

Photos from the October “No Kings” protest in Minneapolis

Organizers chose Minnesota for their flagship march nationally largely because of the state’s response to immigration enforcement. Over 3,000 “No Kings” protests took place across the country on Saturday.

Mark Sackett and his dog, Penny, pose for a portrait while sitting outside the Minnesota State Capitol. “I’m just so proud of Minnesota,” he said, saying typically, the state would “never want to be on the national stage for something like this.”

Despite its relatively recent release after the killings of Good and Pretti, many in the crowd on Saturday appeared to already know the words to “Streets of Minneapolis” when Bruce Springsteen preformed it.

Springsteen warmly greeted Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, as he got on stage.

Madeline, of St. Paul, wears a dinosaur costume while protesting during the “No Kings” march on Saturday. The 10-year-old joined her mother and aunt with tens of thousands of protesters.

Others on the long and high-profile list of attendees included Joan Baez, Jane Fonda and Maggie Rogers. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also appeared, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.

Cousins Craig Pierce, left, and Kari Pearson stand for a portrait at the protest. “We just really share the same values, and beliefs and worldview that it’s really important to show up,” Pearson said, adding that their presence wasn’t optional. Chase said the two joined in solidarity with everyone else representing Minnesota at the gathering. “This is the responsibility of citizens,” he said.

A child, holding a “No Kings” sign and an American flag, joins protesters to watch the action while elevated in a tree. People perched on steps, children on parents’ shoulders and stood on highway overpasses to get a glimpse of the program happening on the steps of the Capitol.

Ryan, left, his daughter Olivia, center, and wife Karen, who declined to give their last names, pose for a portrait while protesting. “We just wanted to stand up for democracy,” Ryan said. “I feel that a lot of our rights are being taken away from us.”

Marchers were seen wearing frog costumes, as has become customary at protests denouncing the Trump administration’s actions. Full-body narwhal, bananas and more were spotted in the crowd. Many children joined their families.

Stephanie Rathsack, 34, of Faribault, waved to passing cars while holding the Minnesota state flag. Rathsack, who said she traveled to the Twin Cities to join the fight against fascism, has been joining protests since early 2025. “I’m just really proud of our state, and we’ve been through so so much, and I could not be prouder of all the people that are here and all the people that just make up our beautiful place where we live,” she said. “We are still here, we are still strong and we are going to keep fighting no matter what they throw at us.”

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After a heroic goaltending performance lifted Penn State to the Frozen Four last year, the Nittany Lions were on the receiving end of a strong goaltending night in Friday’s 3-1 NCAA Tournament loss to Minnesota-Duluth. Adam Gajan made 29 saves, many of them high-danger, to lift the Bulldogs past Penn State. Shea Van Olm scored Penn State’s only goal of the night in the first period. Josh Fleming made 36 saves in defeat for the Nittany Lions.

First Period

Penn State’s attack was relentless in the first period. Midway through the period, Casey Aman made a perfect cross-ice pass to Shea Van Olm. The freshman laced a beautiful shot past Adam Gajan to put Penn State on top 1-0:

Vice President JD Vance chaired the first meeting of an anti-fraud task force aimed at cracking down on fraud in government programs nationwide. Some of the fraud, he says, dates back 30 to 40 years.

However, in his opening remarks, he highlighted fraud in the Minnesota state government in recent years.

“Now what we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” he said, talking specifically about fraud in autism programs.

House Fraud Committee takes aim at autism programs

In an interview recorded for “At Issue with Tom Hauser” on Friday afternoon, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he’d welcome help in fighting fraud but doubts how interested the Trump administration is in helping the state.

“All fraud is too much,” Walz said. “One dollar is too much. I don’t really believe the vice president is interested in helping with this. If he was, he’d get us more U.S. attorneys. If he was, he’d have more FBI agents out here focused on this rather than harassing people in the streets. But what I would tell Minnesotans on this is they know it’s unacceptable. We’re on the path to having the most secure programs in the country. I take full responsibility for making sure that’s fixed.”

Walz acknowledges the involvement of some in the Somali community in several fraud cases in Minnesota, but says the fight against fraud shouldn’t be based on race or ethnicity.

Walz says ‘organized crime’ to blame for extensive fraud in Minnesota

“Going on there and talking about the Somali community, there are plenty of white men committing fraud too, and I don’t hear him talking about that. What I would tell you as a Minnesotan, I don’t care what your ethnicity is, your religion, the color of your skin, if you’re committing fraud, you’re going to prison. That’s my job to make sure it happens.”

You can see the entire interview with Gov. Walz on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on “At Issue.”

You’ll hear his response to a wide range of issues, ranging from his budget proposal to license tab fees to whether he plans to get involved in helping other Democrats in the midterm elections.