One of the most popular signs at this year’s May Day march featured a photo of Mayor Muriel Bowser and President Donald Trump, with the text, “We need a mayor, not Trump’s apprentice.”

The groups that organized the 200-strong march, led by immigrant rights group Many Languages One Voice, want more of a say in how D.C. enacts “sanctuary city” principles.

“The immigrant community has been trying to speak with the mayor, and they’re not being inclusive enough,” says Brenda Perez, a board member of Many Languages One Voice. “Saying D.C. is a sanctuary city isn’t enough. Our biggest demand is for Bowser to meet with us.”

Bowser has reaffirmed that D.C. is a sanctuary city since the election of Trump, meaning that local law enforcement cannot ask about immigration status during routine stops and limits their cooperation with federal deportation orders. But the term “sanctuary city” is largely symbolic, and there’s no one definition for what it means.

Zach Maril was carrying a larger-than-life version of Bowser, made of posterboard, with a name-tag identifying her as “Trump’s apprentice.” “We’re calling out Bowser because she says she’s progressive, and she says she’s all these things, but she still won’t talk to us,” he says. He was motivated by his membership in Democratic Socialists of America to march.

Not everyone agrees with the focus on Bowser. “She gives us a lot. Why fight with her?” says Yasmin Romero-Latin, an ANC commissioner in Mount Pleasant. She brings up Bowser’s grant program to provide help to immigrants. “Who’s the person putting the word ‘illegal’ with immigrants? It’s Donald Trump, not the mayor.”

Romero-Latin and her 12-year-old, Mauricio, alternated leading the march by holding a large flag with the U.S. flag on one side and the Guatemalan flag on the other. She also had an El Salvadorean flag tucked into her shirt.

“I’m so proud to hold this,” says Romero-Latin of the flag. Her husband is undocumented, and comes from Guatemala, while she is originally from El Salvador. “We’re working hard, we pay taxes, and we deserve human rights, with or without legal documents.”

When the march arrived at the John A. Wilson Building, the huge poster of Bowser sat at the front of the crowd, along with a big sign calling her Trump’s apprentice. Romero-Latin found me to say she was leaving. “We want to go to the White House, not here,” she says.

Bowser’s office defends her record on immigration, too. “More than just talk or empty rhetoric, Mayor Bowser has taken action demonstrating her commitment to this issue through programs like the Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grant,” said her director of communications, Kevin Harris, in an email to DCist. “If the purpose of today’s march was to stand against President Trump’s immigration policies, then there is no stronger ally than Mayor Bowser.” They would not commit to a meeting or town hall with MLOV.

Earlier today, activists posted eviction notices on the office doors of Bowser and all of the councilmembers, warning them that they’d be voted out if they didn’t take action on displacement.

For years, D.C. has held a march on May Day, an international holiday for workers. And there was certainly a fair share of the red Industrial Workers of the World flags. But this year, in addition to the march, which began at Lamont Park and will end at the White House with some pit stops along the way, some workers are opting to strike. A handful of businesses, most of them located in or near Mount Pleasant, will be closed today in support of “DC on STRIKE,” similar to “A Day Without Immigrants” in February.

Before making it to the John A. WIlson Building, the home of city government, marchers stopped at Matchbox on 14th Street NW. “Shame!” marchers chanted, as former workers at the restaurant alleged they were fired for trying to improve their working conditions.

The march made its way down busy streets like 16th Street, 14th Street, and more with the help of blockages by MPD. Demonstrators with bangos, trombones, saxophones, and other instruments played songs like “This Land Is Your Land” and “Solidarity Forever” as others sang along. (Most people knew the chorus of “Solidarity Forever,” and one protester sang the lesser-known verses through a bullhorn after looking up the lyrics on his phone.)

As demonstrators marched by, some people on the sidewalk gawked, while others jangled their keys or danced along with the rhythm of the chants. Nearly all of them had their cell phones up to document the event. A few enterprising folks had coolers with cold drinks for sale. The march also had medics on hand, who said that so far they’d been largely handing out band-aids and sunscreen.

Rashell, who marched with her nine-month-old son, her three-year-old son, and her husband, came out from Virginia because “I’m at risk,” she says. “My whole family is here, but half of us don’t have any stability in this country. Donald Trump is trying to separate families.” She says the idea of being separated from her kids is unimaginable, and she’s not sure how her husband would manage without her.

David Sanchez, who helped organized the People’s Climate March over the weekend, says that he’s marching to illustrate how interrelated the issues of climate, labor, and immigration are. “We have to send one solid message across to resist,” he says.

Sisters Rita Pinkerton and Louise Russell came from San Diego for the climate march, and demonstrated today as well, wearing red berets they had specially made that say “I’m with the resistance!” They’ve been donning those hats at all the rallies they’ve attended. “We’re inspired by the French resistance in World War II,” says Russell.

But not everyone who participated in May Day has been a regular at other protests. Today’s demonstration marked the first time that Maria Menjuin marched in the streets after 25 years of living in the District. “I’m here to defend the rights of workers, immigrants, and women,” she says in Spanish. She has a plastic drum around her neck that she’s been hitting to the beat of the chants. “No languages or humans are illegal,” she says.

Updated with comment from Mayor Bowser’s office.