The tanks have already arrived in Washington. On Friday, curious onlookers and tourists took photos with the armored vehicles on the National Mall, the major political, civic, and cultural artery in the heart of the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump turns 79 this Saturday and has gifted himself a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump was dazzled in 2018 when he attended France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14, 2017, invited by President Emmanuel Macron, and now he is fulfilling his dream. Weather forecasts, which predict rain for Saturday, along with hundreds of protests planned across the country under the slogan “No Kings”, threaten to overshadow the first military parade in Washington in decades.

“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get things approved,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday when asked about the protests, before finishing with a royal-sounding plural: “No, no, no, we are not a king.”

Trump has pushed the limits of executive power, infringes on the authority of other branches, ignores laws, and retaliates against political enemies and critical media. He is not an absolute monarch, of course, but he has embarked on a troubling authoritarian drift, with recent chapters including the deployment of troops to Los Angeles and the threat of using force to suppress protests against Saturday’s parade.

Many democratic countries hold military parades, including France and Spain, but it is not something usually done in Washington. The last one was held to mark the end of the Gulf War, during George W. Bush’s administration. Critics compare Trump’s military display to those dedicated to dictators like Russian Vladimir Putin or North Korean Kim Jong-un, with whom Trump prides himself on having a good relationship.

The fact that he took advantage of the coincidence between the military anniversary and his birthday — “it’s not my birthday, although it is my birthday, but I’m not celebrating my birthday,” he said — adds to the controversy. More important than that coincidence is that Trump has broken the tradition of keeping the Armed Forces out of politics. Just this Tuesday, he gave a rally-style speech at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Furthermore, the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles is more part of his political struggle with California Governor Gavin Newsom than a response to any actual need for their presence.

“This military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people,” said No Kings, a coalition of dozens of civil rights organizations, in a statement. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like,” they added.

“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings,” states the call for the approximately 1,800 demonstrations organized across the country as a protest on the day of the parade.

Storm over Washington

Alongside the political storm, there will also be an actual storm. Rain, lightning, and thunder are forecast for Saturday afternoon in Washington, which could disrupt or dampen what Trump wants to be a grand spectacle — much like his political career (and before that, in business and entertainment). Trump said Thursday at the White House that he hopes for good weather, but if not, “it’s no big deal.” “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect the tanks at all. It doesn’t affect the soldiers. They’re used to it,” he stated. However, an untimely thunderstorm could ground aircraft flights and cancel the closing parachute display, as well as discourage public attendance.

Part of the events will have the flavor of Trump rallies, including a performance by one of his favorite singers, Lee Greenwood, who will sing God Bless the USA, the Republican’s preferred anthem for making an entrance at his party events.

About 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, and 50 helicopters are expected to participate, following a route from near the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall area. The tanks are expected to cause damage to Constitution Avenue. It’s tempting to see it as a metaphor.

When she was asked who her children would stay with if she got the job, Valeria, 24, didn’t know what to say. Days later, on a winter morning, she received a message with the results of the culinary program she had applied to, to receive training and a job as a cook in New York City. She’s sure she was rejected because she had no one to look after her two children, ages six and 10. Valeria, who prefers not to give her real name for this story, has been living with her kids in New York’s immigrant shelters for eight months.

They are one of more than 35,000 families with children still living in shelters opened in the city to accommodate thousands of immigrants who arrived in the United States in recent years after fleeing violence or poverty in their home countries. As of March 2025, these families represented 81% of the migrant population in shelters, according to the latest data from the city comptroller’s office, which is no longer updated.

Most of them cannot work formally because they lack legal status and work permits, making leaving the shelters and starting a new life almost impossible. Now, they are also facing the announcement of the closure of 13 shelters, including the renowned Roosevelt Hotel, at the end of June. Valeria and the other mothers living at the Row Hotel, whose closure is not planned, say that social workers have not informed them of what will happen to them when the shelters close.

A representative from Mayor Eric Adams’ Office of Immigrant Affairs stated via email that immigrant mothers in need of a home will always be able to access the shelters that remain open. “The city works to support mothers in shelters through programs and partnerships with nonprofit organizations. We offer childcare options and help mothers connect with jobs,” the office stated.

The city has the Promise NYC program, which provides $700 a week for childcare services to undocumented working mothers, but a survey conducted by the New York Immigration Coalition found that nearly half of women are unaware of the program.

Valeria and her stepmother applied for five other jobs, cleaning hotels, handling food, and caring for the elderly. They were never called back. “They require a work permit, but in reality, the permit isn’t as valuable as they say,” says Valeria. Her stepsister, Marcela, feels the same: speaking English is more important than having legal status. “If you speak English, they get you jobs faster, even if you seek informal work, under the table,” says Marcela.

Valeria recently went to a bank to open a savings account when she discovered her work permit was no longer valid. She had been granted one for two years when she requested an asylum appointment at the border through the CBP One app, a free app created by the Joe Biden administration to help undocumented immigrants enter the country legally, and which Donald Trump eliminated when his administration took office. “They told me my Social Security and my work permit were canceled,” she recalls. Since then, her job search has become more complicated.

An immigrant can apply for a work permit 150 days after applying for asylum, but the process can take up to six months due to delays at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Laura Guzmán, legal advisor at La Victoria Foundation, explains that people who lost the work permit they obtained through CBP One can apply for a new one if they prove they have initiated an asylum application. “What they have to do is go to the Social Services office and prove they are in the asylum process.” The International Refugee Organization has warned that immigrants in this situation remain at risk of deportation, advising in a statement that if they are arrested, they should state that they are afraid of returning to their countries of origin.

Exposed to informal work

Eight years of threats against her son led Regina, 32, to leave Colón, Panama, for the United States. The threats began after the child’s birth, after her partner was involved in a fight with a group of people. “I received many messages threatening to kidnap him,” she explains.

Supported by a cousin who had immigrated to New York City in May 2024, Regina decided to flee her home with her eight-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter on a journey that involved crossing five countries. She had only $3,000. Once at the border, she didn’t wait for an appointment scheduled through the CBP One app. She crossed through Tijuana and ended up in a shelter in San Diego, California, where she filed her asylum claim. A week later, in October 2024, she traveled to New York City and was sent to a shelter in Queens. There she remains waiting for a work permit that has yet to arrive.

Linda, 30, is in the same situation. She had been in Peru for several years, having migrated from her native Venezuela, until her husband began to fall victim to extortion and the couple decided to travel to the United States. The two women are among the 1.2 million asylum seekers who applied for work permits during fiscal year 2024, according to USCIS data.

While they wait, they look for ways to earn money. Linda sells plates of food inside the shelter where she lives in Manhattan. Her husband works informally for a removals company. All they want is to earn enough money to leave the shelter. Regina went to an employment agency where she paid $50 to secure a job cleaning houses, earning $16 an hour, or about $2,000 a month.

“A little place, how much will it cost to rent? $1,500 or $2,000, that’s money we don’t have,” Linda calculates. Anti-immigration raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also frighten her. She barely leaves the shelter, which is both a prison and her only respite. “Just like you saw me at the hotel, I’m just walking around, with the food cart.”

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It will be a weekend of contrasts. This Saturday, a parade will be held in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, which falls on the same day as President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. At the same time, people across the country are planning various protests against the Republican president and his immigration policy. These demonstrations, under the name “No Kings,” could face repression, as has happened in recent days in California, where the National Guard has been deployed and hundreds of arrests have been made.

On his social media platform Truth, the president said of the Army’s 250th anniversary: “We will celebrate with a spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C., like no other.” He also claimed that it would be bigger and better than any other parade ever seen on American soil. In fact, the U.S. Secret Service has designated it as a “special national security event,” similar to a presidential inauguration, which requires special resources. According to the Army, the cost of the event will be between $25 million and $45 million.

On the other hand, there are at least 2,000 protests planned against the Trump administration’s policies. Saturday has been called “No Kings Day of Defiance,” and its intention — according to the organizers — is to “honor civil liberties for all” and protest against deportations, U.S. actions in Gaza and support for Israel, mass layoffs of federal employees, and cuts to government departments such as USAID.

Here’s what to expect this Saturday:

What time does the military parade start?

The military parade will take place on June 14 and will begin at 6:30 pm local time. The event is just one of several that will happen throughout the day from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm.

Parade schedule

The celebrations will begin with a traditional ceremony in which senior Army leaders lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. An athletic competition will follow, and then a festival will be held at the National Mall from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. The day will end with a fireworks display over the Tidal Basin.

The Army has announced that the parade will feature 6,700 soldiers, tanks, armored vehicles, rocket launchers, precision-guided missiles, and a flyover of 50 aircraft from different eras. The procession includes Abrams tanks, Bradley and Stryker vehicles, Paladin howitzers, helicopters, World War II aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang and C-47, and even a Sherman tank. Marching bands, horses, mules, and a dog named Doc Holiday will also participate.

What route will the parade take?

The parade will take place on Constitution Avenue in D.C., from 23rd Street to 15th Street, and will end near the White House. Upon arrival, a group of paratroopers with the Army’s Golden Knights will jump over the Ellipse to present the president with a folded flag.

Some 200,000 people are expected to attend the parade and the festival, which will be open to the public.

Protests against Trump

The “No Kings” protests were organized by the 50501 Movement (“50 States, 50 Protests, One Movement”), which consists of people who seek to defend democracy and who are against what they consider to be the authoritarianism of the Trump administration.

According to the movement, more than 2,000 protests will take place across the country, in its territories, and even in other countries. On its official website, there is a map showing all the locations where people will gather to demonstrate, and their mission statement, which reads as follows: “No Kings is a day of national rebellion. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we are taking action to reject authoritarianism and show the world what democracy really looks like.”

They also refer to Flag Day, which is that same Saturday: “The flag does not belong to President Trump. It belongs to us. We are not watching history happen. We are creating it. On June 14, we will be everywhere he is not, to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.”

Although the demonstrations are expected to be peaceful, some authorities have threatened those seeking to protest. In Florida, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said, “If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at. Because we will kill you graveyard dead.” For his part, Governor Ron DeSantis addressed those who would not protest and suggested that they could run over protesters if they feared for their safety.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbot has called on the state’s National Guard to be present during the protests. In Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe said he would activate the National Guard, but said they would only be deployed if local authorities needed assistance.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he could deploy National Guard troops to other states beyond California “if necessary.” “Thankfully, in most of those states you have a governor that recognizes the need for (the National Guard), supports it, mobilizes it for himself or herself,” he said. “In California, unfortunately, the governor (Gavin Newsom) wants to play politics with it.” Newsom has sued Trump for deploying the National Guard during the protests that have rocked the city of Los Angeles over the past week and spread to the rest of the country.