Protests against ICE taking place across U.S. after shootings in Minneapolis and Oregon
Protests against immigration enforcement were planned for cities and towns across the country on Saturday after one federal officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.
The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Trump's administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who "weaponized" their vehicles to attack officers.
Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were taking place in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. Many were dubbed "ICE Out for Good" using the acronym for the agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Indivisible and its local chapters organized protests in all 50 states last year.
An Indivisible protest was underway in Philadelphia on Saturday morning, CBS Philadelphia reported. Protestors are set to march to the federal detention center in the city and join another group holding a rally there.
Thousands of people marched in Minneapolis on Saturday.
"We're all living in fear right now," said Meghan Moore, a mother of two from Minneapolis who joined the protest. "ICE is creating an environment where nobody feels safe and that's unacceptable."
Connor Maloney said he was attending the Minneapolis protest to support his community and because he's frustrated with the immigration crackdown.
"Almost daily I see them harassing people," he said. "It's just sickening that it's happening in our community around us."
He was among thousands of protesters, including children, who braved sub-freezing temperatures and a light dusting of snow, carrying handmade signs saying declaring, "De-ICE Minnesota!" and "ICE melts in Minnesota."
They marched down a street that is home to restaurants and stores where various nationalities and cultures are celebrated in colorful murals.
Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to attend a protest in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday because of the "horrifying" killing in Minneapolis.
"We can't allow it," Eubanks said. "We have to stand up."
Protests held in the neighborhood so far have been peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and agents guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.
Minneapolis police said at least 30 people were cited and released during Friday night protests in the city that drew hundreds of people. Police said protesters threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, police vehicles and other vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested. He faulted "agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds."
"This is what Donald Trump wants," Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. "He wants us to take the bait."
The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.
Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.