Dozens of residents took to the streets in Southeast Washington on Saturday, rallying against plans for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters at the historic St. Elizabeths campus. Marchers hoisted "No ICE" signs, chanted at passing traffic and called out contractors and elected officials by name, urging them to walk away from the project. For organizers, it was another public push to challenge what they see as federal dollars flowing into enforcement infrastructure instead of neighborhood services.
The protest, caught on camera and reported by DC News Now, showed a sizable crowd and featured interviews with organizers who said the rally was designed to increase pressure on companies tied to the buildout. They told the station they intend to keep that pressure on until both elected officials and contractors pull back. The TV segment also placed Saturday’s gathering in the context of a broader run of anti-ICE activism in the region this year.
What’s Planned At St. Elizabeths
The Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration are moving ahead with a long-running consolidation plan for the St. Elizabeths West Campus that includes new office space slated for ICE, according to federal planning records. The General Services Administration has detailed continuing investments, site work and oversight tied to the campus, while a separate department release notes that Inflation Reduction Act funding announced in 2023 will support construction and tenant build-out and create room for thousands of staff members on the grounds.
Who’s Organizing The Opposition
A loose but vocal coalition of neighborhood groups, activists and local campaigns has been staging actions that single out contractors and political backers of the plan. Event pages in a “Stop ICE HQ” series call on residents to demand that firms and officeholders break with the project. Listings on Action Network and detailed posts on the Vote4Oye campaign site outline protest dates, targets and a set of demands, from halting the headquarters buildout to redirecting resources into the surrounding community.
Officials Say Plans Remain On Track
Pressed by local reporters about whether the weekend protest might affect the timeline, agency representatives did not signal any change. DC News Now reported that DHS officials said they had no new updates on the relocation plan. At the same time, federal budget and planning documents show that agencies are still moving ahead with planning and contracting for St. Elizabeths projects. That combination, steady procurement activity on one side and recurring street protests on the other, suggests the fight will continue at least through design and preconstruction.
Preservation Concerns And Local Fallout
Community anger is not limited to immigration policy. Preservation advocates and nearby residents have also argued that parts of the campus plan use security needs as a pretext to demolish historic buildings and to reshape a long-neglected corner of the city. The Washington Post reported earlier this year on clashes over demolition and on whether the agency’s security rationale truly requires tearing down structures that preservationists say could be restored and reused. Those cultural and historic concerns have sharpened opposition to any large-scale expansion on the West Campus, regardless of which federal tenant moves in.
What’s Next
Organizers say more demonstrations are already in the works while federal contracting and planning grind forward. Public records from oversight agencies describe audits, funding requests and solicitations that keep the St. Elizabeths work advancing. Community leaders and preservation groups have pledged to keep pressing lawmakers and the GSA for alternatives, and federal oversight pages indicate that the project will continue to face reviews and audits along the way. For now, the standoff leaves the neighborhood wrestling with a basic question: what should federal investment at St. Elizabeths look like, and who gets to shape that answer.
