Nearly 400 protesters gathered next to the old Tampa City Hall on Wednesday to rally against recent actions taken by the Trump administration.
The demonstration was among dozens across the country that decried moves intensifying immigration enforcement and rolling back LGBTQ rights.
Some held signs opposing "Project 2025," a conservative agenda that includes dismantling and reshaping departments of the federal government.
RELATED: Tampa-area immigrants brace for Trump's promise of mass deportations
Since taking office, Trump has signed more than 50 executive orders reflecting ideas found within the agenda.
The crowd stood on the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Tampa Street, chanting the words "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here."
Luisa Mentor and her sister came out in support of their mother, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border from Nicaragua decades ago. She traveled for eight days, Mentor said, traversing the Rio Grande on the last, just so "she could have a better life."
"She's been here well over 40 years, so the thought of her ever being sent back to where she's from ... it's not home, this is home, this is all she knows," said Mentor.
Mentor described how her mother has been living in fear since Trump took office. She left her job in construction, afraid that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents might show up. She's having trouble sleeping and eating as well.
"Having to live in that fear every day is not OK. No human should have to go through that — legal or not legal," she said.
Mentor and her sister picked up additional part-time jobs to supplement the income loss.
Jackie Falcon, Mentor's sister, said she's doing everything she can to protect her mom.
"My mom's done basically everything — everything that I didn't have, I could ask her for it, and she was right there to give it to me," said Falcon, "I just want to give my mom the best life."
For St. Petersburg College student Raven Schvartz, immigration and LGBTQ issues both hit close to home.
Schvartz, who identifies as queer, said her grandfather came to the U.S. so he could marry the man he loved. That isn't possible in the Dominican Republic, where he lived, she said.
"They did that just to have the right to be married and to love who they love, because they can't do that in their own country. Now we're turning into that country," said Schvartz.
She condemned a recent move that froze applications for passports with the X gender marker, a symbol that many nonbinary individuals use. Trump also signed a sweeping order mandating that the federal government recognize only two biological sexes: male and female, and reject the notion of "gender ideology," the idea that gender falls on a spectrum.
"Trans people have been here and will always be here, and you can't outlaw people," she said.
Laura Rodriguez, an organizer with the group Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TAARPR), said Wednesday's crowd is one of the "most diverse" she's seen.
The Trump administration's sweeping orders have touched many communities, according to Rodriguez.
"It's quite literally everybody — no matter how old or how young or what nationality you are — coming today," said Rodriguez, "I see veterans, I see people who are straight out of college, children. It's the biggest array I've seen to fight back against Trump's agenda."
