Milwaukee Protesters Rally Against ICE

Protesters gathered at 310 E. Knapp St. on Jan. 28. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

More than 1,000 protesters gathered in downtown Milwaukee Wednesday for a rally and march against federal immigration enforcement.

Organizers from Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) and Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) led the peaceful demonstration, which demanded an end to violence by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), joining a wave of protests across the nation held in solidarity with Minneapolis following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Good on Jan. 7. Less than three weeks later, Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was pepper-sprayed, beaten and restrained before two federal agents shot him at least 10 times. Video footage of both killings has circulated widely on social media.

“Today, we hold space for frustration; today we hold space for grief — grief for Alex Pretti, for Renee Good, for Parady La, for Luis Beltran Cruz, for Geraldo Luis Campos, for Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres and the many, many more who have been harmed by this administration through its horrific brutality,” said Fernanda Jimenez of Comité Sin Fronteras, a branch of VDLF. “But today we also hold space for community. We hold space for hope and for fighting back against this regime.”

Eight people have died in ICE custody since the beginning of 2026, The Guardian reports.

“They’re the reason why we’re bearing this cold,” said Alan Chavoya of MAARPR, who emceed the protest. “It’s not criminals who are being killed by ICE or [U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)]. It’s regular people who have done nothing wrong. It’s hardworking people, whether they’re citizens, whether they’re immigrants, or whether they have another status — that’s who this administration is attacking.”

Two health care workers condemned Pretti’s killing during the rally.

“Alex knew and lived out in his short life that the real power to change injustice to justice—and all of you know this, because you’re here—is held and demonstrated by ordinary people working together and not giving up,” said Terry Hess, a retired VA nurse and current VDLF volunteer.

Connie Smith, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals Local 5000, said health care workers are “ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations.”

“That’s what Alex was doing when he was killed on Saturday,” Smith said. “Health care workers must be able to serve without fear not only at work, but in our communities, and communities must not be traumatized by the acts of violence carried out in the name of law enforcement.”

Attendees congregated at 310 E. Knapp St., outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office, before marching a 1.75-mile loop while chanting, carrying signs and singing songs. The evening protest followed earlier action by hundreds of students at Golda Meir School, who staged a midday walkout and march.

Another, smaller demonstration was in progress at the site Thursday morning. More are expected to follow later this week, including a Friday afternoon rally at Cathedral Square Park, coinciding with activists’ calls for a national general strike against ICE.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of VDLF, said members stand in solidarity with the Jan. 30 strike, viewing it as a “kickoff” to organizing for Wisconsin’s annual May 1 general strike.

She also urged attendees to contact their state representatives and demand they vote against additional funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The funding is part of a broader spending package lawmakers are negotiating Thursday amid a looming government shutdown.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has said she will not support the funding bill. Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said earlier this week he is unwilling to split DHS funding from the larger spending package—a move proposed as a way to keep the government open.

Neumann-Ortiz called for federal agencies like ICE and CBP to withdraw from U.S. cities and face “real accountability” for violating constitutional and human rights. She also pushed lawmakers to claw back $170 billion from Public Law 119-21, a sweeping federal spending package previously branded as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and redirect the funds toward immigration reform and social programs.

“I know we’re in some difficult times, but the immigrant community has been in these difficult times for a long time,” Chavoya said. “It’s not about saving immigrants. It’s not about taking pity on them. It’s about standing firmly with them, shoulder to shoulder.”

Photos

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.