Demonstrations have already been planned for the second day of the convention, and groups began mobilizing soon after the announcement, organizers told the Observer. The march will begin at Pike Park just north of the arena, where activists plan to host speakers and vocalize opposition to the GOP and Trump\u2019s policies. But first, they need to iron out a few things with the city.<\/p>\n
The Dallas Police Department, one of a few city agencies not expected to make significant cuts as the city faces a difficult budget season<\/a>, expects to spend $1.8 million on security for the event, staff told council members at Monday\u2019s meeting of the council\u2019s Finance Committee. Transportation and Public Works are looking at an expected budget of up to $14,000, although council members were told that both figures are constantly evolving.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sign up for the This Week\u2019s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Totals from Dallas-Fire Rescue and other departments are up in the air. Reimbursements and grants from federal and state partners are also unclear, but will be discussed further in the run-up to the convention, staff told the committee.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the chair of the Committee on Government Efficiency, we\u2019re in a deficit budget,\u201d Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson said during the meeting. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t care if it costs $10, we shouldn\u2019t be funding anything or fronting any kind of money.\u201d<\/p>\n With high-level federal officials, including Trump, expected to attend, the security considerations are considerable and subject to change. The Secret Service will lead security preparations, and Office of Emergency Management and Crisis Response Director Kevin Ogden told council members he couldn\u2019t provide more information on staffing deployments or security zones. The RNC has said it expects 20,000 people to attend the event. <\/p>\n \u2018Eyes of the nation on Dallas\u2019<\/p>\n Xavier Velasquez, an organizer with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression\u2019s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter, said the protest was an obvious course of action once plans for the convention were announced.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they want to come here and have the eyes of the nation on Dallas, then we\u2019re more than willing to take advantage of that and let them know just how unpopular they are here in Dallas,\u201d Velasquez said.<\/p>\n Under the Dallas City Code, a special event permit is generally required<\/a> for any outdoor procession of more than 100 people that features signage in the public right-of-way. Activists have applied for a permit and have had multiple conversations with city and police officials about the route details, he said.<\/p>\n The process has been \u201cmoving at a glacial pace,\u201d Velasquez said, adding that officials have already nixed the original route proposed by organizers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis thing is two weeks away at this point,\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cWe really need to be getting some kind of stuff going here to finalize this March route.\u201d<\/p>\n A city spokesperson said questions about the permitting process would be answered at a joint press conference with the police department on Thursday. Corbin Rubinson, a DPD spokesperson, recently told The Dallas Morning News<\/a> a decision will be made on event applications once security plans are finalized.<\/p>\n Organizers also had trouble with a press conference at City Hall Plaza on Saturday, Velasquez said. Gatherings at the plaza also require a special event permit, although the city\u2019s website seems to indicate the permit is required for gatherings of 100 or more. That is what made police officers\u2019 orders for them to leave the public space, based on the absence of a First Amendment or special event permit, confusing, Velasquez said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was literally like 25 people gathering to talk to the press, and that\u2019s including the people that were there from the press,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about 25-30 people, and so they were trying to say we needed to have a permit\u2026 It really doesn\u2019t make sense that they were chasing us off property.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for DPD did not answer questions about Saturday\u2019s events or security plans for the protest, saying those details would be announced at the press conference.<\/p>\n Jo Hargis, an organizer with the DFW Anti-War Committee, called the delays with the city \u201cunfortunate\u201d and said she has limited confidence in the department to protect protesters from right-wing activists.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be proceeding whether or not we\u2019re able to come to an agreement with them,\u201d Hargis said. \u201cBut we have our own safety plan to try and de-escalate if things need de-escalating.\u201d<\/p>\n Hargis was one of the main organizers at a protest against Trump\u2019s war at a downtown park in April. During a call to prayer, a 58-year-old man wearing a \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d hat repeatedly brandished a stun gun<\/a> close to protesters. A safety team separated the crowd from the man, and Hargis said she used a microphone to caution protesters. Police eventually intervened and arrested the man, who was charged with three counts of deadly conduct and one count of resisting arrest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe rely on ourselves to keep us safe because we really have no reason to expect police to intervene if someone on the far right attacks our event, or attempts to stop us exercising our rights,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n In the run-up to the convention, organizers have held protest trainings. The sessions involve presentations on de-escalation, first aid and legal observer training, said Rick Majumdar, one of the main organizers with the Dallas Against Trump Agenda coalition. He said a public art day has also been planned for Labor Day.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether we receive a permit or not, we will march, and it will be a family-friendly march,\u201d Majumdar said. \u201cPeople of all ages, nationalities, and genders can come from the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal presence expected At Monday\u2019s Finance Committee Meeting, staff told council members that similar events require collaboration with \u201cfederal partners and outside agencies.\u201d The Secret Service Dallas Field Office has also confirmed in social media posts that it is \u201cworking hand in hand with our federal, state, and local partners to support a safe and secure event for our protectees, attendees, businesses, and community\u201d during the convention.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Secret Service, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, said the large-scale events require a \u201cjoint effort,\u201d but did not specify which federal agencies will be involved in the convention\u2019s security apparatus in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one federal, state, or local agency alone can carry out the measures necessary to secure an event of this size,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThe expertise of each participating law enforcement and public safety partners critical to the success of the operational security plan. The Secret Service and its partners will have a variety of assets working together to support the event, including investigative, analytical, and technical capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n According to prior reporting by The Dallas Morning News, the FBI will play a role in convention security. Past national conventions in the run-up to presidential elections have involved multiple DHS agencies and offices, including the Coast Guard, TSA, Health Affairs, Domestic Nuclear Detection, ICE\u2019s Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to the DHS website<\/a>. It remains unclear whether the first-of-its-kind midterm convention will receive the same treatment, although more information is expected Thursday.<\/p>\n In 2020, CBP reported to Congress that 16 teams <\/a>were deployed in response to \u201cnationwide civil unrest and protests in May and June\u201d in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Advocacy groups like the American Immigration Council have raised concerns about the training of CBP officers in responding to protests and their use of force during 2020 protests. At the time, The Washington Post reported<\/a> that multiple protesters said they had been detained in unmarked vans by federal agents in Portland.<\/p>\n
\n![\"ICE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DallasICEProtest_EmmaRuby.jpg\")
Many Dallas protesters held signs in honor of Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother who was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, 2026, during a City Hall protest against ICE. <\/p>\n