Nationwide protests have been triggered across the United States following a series of fatal shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents this week. The incidents, which left one person dead and two injured, have ignited public fury and led to calls for the agency to be removed from local communities.
A Weekend of Nationwide Action
Organisers are coordinating more than a thousand separate events this Saturday and Sunday under the banner "ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action." The protests, including vigils and rallies, are planned in every state, from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, to Machias in eastern Maine. The progressive group Indivisible, which helped organise last year's No Kings protests, is maintaining a live online tracker of all planned gatherings.
"This weekend, people all over are coming together not just to mourn the lives lost to ICE violence, but to confront a pattern of harm that has torn families apart and terrorized our communities," stated Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible. Other coordinating bodies include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
Details of the Deadly Incidents
The wave of anger stems from two separate confrontations. On Wednesday, 7 January, in Minneapolis, US citizen Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an immigration operation. The shooting was captured on video by bystanders and rapidly circulated online, sparking immediate outrage.
In response, thousands gathered at the scene that evening. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered a blunt message to the federal agency, while some Democratic politicians threatened to cut funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Simultaneous demonstrations took place from New York to Oakland.
The following day, Thursday, 8 January, the crisis escalated in Portland, Oregon. There, ICE agents shot two Venezuelan immigrants, Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras and Luis David Nico Moncada, outside a hospital. Both survived, but the incident fuelled further protests and led to six arrests in Portland as tensions between demonstrators and authorities flared.
Escalating Tensions and Demands for Justice
The shootings occur against a backdrop of heightened tension in communities where ICE and federal agents have been deployed in increased numbers. In the Twin Cities alone, more than 2,000 agents were recently sent to conduct enforcement operations, a move that activists say has led to threats, attacks, and arrests.
The planned nationwide events represent a coordinated effort to channel local grief into political pressure. "We demand justice for Renee, ICE out of our communities and action from our elected leaders," Greenberg asserted. "Enough is enough."
As the country braces for a weekend of mass mobilisation, the central demand from protesters remains clear: an immediate end to what they describe as a pattern of aggressive and harmful immigration enforcement.
