'We Got Us' March Demands 'ICE OUT' and Action From New Mexico State Legislation

Santa Fe, NM — More than 1,500 people gathered at the Santa Fe Plaza on Tuesday, January 20, to march to the state capitol on the opening day of this year’s legislative session. YUCCA, the acronym for the Youth United for Climate Crisis Action, led the march and rally along with 26 other nonprofit organizations throughout the Santa Fe region. The event followed the Swiftbird Drum, a traditional Indigenous drum group led by John Swiftbird that sang in the Plaza and through the streets of Santa Fe to the New Mexico State Capitol.

Hundreds of people carried signs that read “Abolish ICE!” “ICE OUT,” “WE GOT US,” “No One is Illegal on Stolen Land,” and as they marched from the Plaza to the Capitol as a group several city blocks long. Together, their message was unity against climate change and potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids such as in Minnesota.

A protestor stapled "Ice Out" posters throughout downtown Santa Fe as more than 1,500 marched to the New Mexico State Capitol on January 20, 2026. Photo by Darren Thompson. — A protestor stapled “Ice Out” posters throughout downtown Santa Fe as more than 1,500 marched to the New Mexico State Capitol on January 20, 2026. Photo contributed by Darren Thompson.

“What we’re building together is about more than one march or one Legislative Session,” said YUCCA Campaign Organizer Jonathon Juárez to Unicorn Riot. “The We Got Us Mass Mobilization was the culmination of weeks of organizing and an intensive four-day bootcamp, giving newly trained organizers the chance to put their skills into practice and bringing together a diverse coalition of young people, community members, and organizations to take action together.”

The march concluded with a rally held at the eastern doors of the Roundhouse, the state capitol, on the opening day of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s final regular session. A component of the mobilization was to address climate change and the fossil fuel industry, said Juarez in his opening remarks at the Santa Fe Plaza.

On January 20, 2026, a crowd of more than 1,000 rallied at the entrance of New Mexico State Capitol where speakers addressed issues of oppression, division, and the importance of building community. Photo by Darren Thompson. — On January 20, 2026, a crowd of more than 1,000 rallied at the entrance of New Mexico State Capitol where speakers addressed issues of oppression, division, and the importance of building community. Photo contributed by Darren Thompson.

More than 1,500 people joined Youth United for Climate Crisis Action in the Santa Fe Plaza for a march to the New Mexico State Capitol on opening day of the legislative session on January 20, 2026. Photo by Darren Thompson — More than 1,500 people joined Youth United for Climate Crisis Action in the Santa Fe Plaza for a march to the New Mexico State Capitol on opening day of the legislative session on January 20, 2026. Photo contributed by Darren Thompson

New Mexico is the second-largest crude oil producer in the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2024, New Mexico produced a record amount of oil, 2.382 million barrels, accounting for 15% of total U.S. crude oil. Last November, the New Mexico Supreme Court agreed to hear a case, Atencio v. State of New Mexico, that alleges the oil and gas industry has polluted the state and that such pollution violates the state’s constitution. The state’s biggest private-sector funder is the oil and gas industry.

Speakers at the rally included Youth United for Climate Crisis Action, New Mexico Dream Team, Millions for Prisoners New Mexico, Indigenous Lifeways, New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition, Organized Power in Numbers, Southwest Coalition for Palestine, Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit, Chili Yazzie and Yang Toledo. The event went for multiple hours and featured multiple performers, including Bobby Sanchez, a two-spirit Quechuan Indigenous hip-hop artist from New York City.

Swiftbird Singers led the procession at the "We Got Us" march and rally in Santa Fe, New Mexico on January 20, 2026. Photo by Darren Thompson. — Swiftbird Singers led the procession at the “We Got Us” march and rally in Santa Fe, New Mexico on January 20, 2026. Photo contributed by Darren Thompson.

“Our communities have always shown up for each other, even when systems fail us,” said YUCCA Campaign Organizer Zephyr Jaramillo to Unicorn Riot. “We Got Us made it clear that the people most impacted by the crises we’re facing – from climate collapse, to rising fascism, to escalating attacks on our communities – aren’t asking for incremental change or waiting for permission to act.”

Another area of focus was immigration, particularly House Bill 9, known as the Immigration Safety Act. The bill advanced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and if passed, would prevent any public entity in New Mexico from entering into a contract to detain immigrants and would also cancel any existing agreements. However, two of the state’s three immigrant detention facilities are operated by private prison contractors, and the state could likely still house immigrants.

“In the weeks and months to come, we’ll keep building power together — across movements, generations, and struggles — as we continue to show up for each other to challenge the systems harming our communities and apply real, ongoing pressure in the fights that lie ahead,” Juarez said.

Newly appointed New Mexico Poet Laureate Manuel González also joined the list of speakers after he opened the state’s legislative session inside the building. He said he wanted to express that he stands with the people outside. He finished his presentation by reading a poem about Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on January 7 in Minneapolis.

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