Angry and anxious, a group of protesters confronted Mayor Muriel Bowser last night and demanded that she issue a stronger defense of immigrants in the face of the president-elect’s proposed deportation plans.

“Did I vote for Trump? 93 percent of people in Washington, D.C. voted for Hillary Clinton and I was her number one supporter here—so what exactly are you protesting here?” Bowser shouted back to a crowd that had gathered at the Mount Pleasant Library after an ANC meeting.

“We want you to not make such a weak statement, we want you to say specifically that you will not work with police,” a protester responded, while Bowser interrupted with “what do you think a sanctuary city is?”

Following press conferences from mayors in big cities around the country, Bowser finally issued a three-sentence statement on Monday evening reaffirming the city’s commitment to remaining a sanctuary city, a designation that comes with symbolic power and limited protections for immigrants in the country illegally.

“The values, laws, and policies of Washington, D.C. did not change on Election Day. We celebrate our diversity and respect all D.C. residents no matter their immigration status,” the mayor wrote. “We are a sanctuary city because we know that our neighborhoods are safer and stronger when no one is afraid to call on our government for help, and when our police can focus on protecting and serving.”

When Bowser repeatedly pointed to that statement, people in the crowd shouted back “that’s not enough.”

“We did ask for a firm, public unity press conference with the mayor, with our city council, with leading community organizations, and that hasn’t happened,” one protester said. “We’re facing a fascist maniac.”

In the wake of the election, hate crimes and other racist incidents have been increasingly reported—including the desecration of a sign advertising a mass in Spanish with the words “Trump nation. Whites only.”

During his first extensive post-election interview, Trump promised to immediately deport somewhere between two and three million undocumented immigrants, and reaffirmed his commitment to building a wall (in some places, he says, it will be a fence). “After the border is secured and after everything gets normalized, we’re going to make a determination about the [other eight to nine million] people that you’re talking about, who are terrific people,” he said.

A reporter on the scene last night tweeted that an organizer said “even Rahm Emanuel did better” than Bowser in his response to such threats. The Chicago mayor issued a statement and spoke at a news conference with U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez to try to reassure fearful immigrants. Protesters also cited New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, who said “we will do everything we know how to do to resist that.” Bowser’s office has not returned a request for comment about the incident.

The mayor told the crowd that their indignation shouldn’t be directed at her. “I appreciate the anxiety that people feel, but your anger should not be addressed at your mayor because your mayor has stood up in every case for this community, period. I have asserted firmly that we are a sanctuary city and our policy is clear.”

One activist claimed that police weren’t always following that policy by asking for immigration status during stops, to which Bowser said: “I want to know about it.”

“You need to tell the community…” the protester said—while the mayor interjected “I have told the community”— …the entire community that you want to know about it. Reassure us.”