With a powerful winter storm approaching New York City and temperatures in the teens, more than a thousand demonstrators rallied on short notice at Union Square late Saturday afternoon to protest the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“I didn’t know I could be enraged more than I already was,” said Alli Malafronte, 61, a retired nurse who lives in Manhattan.
Signs held in the frigid air read “Justice for Alex” in honor of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, a registered nurse shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis earlier on Saturday.
“Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” the crowd chanted.
One sign was held by Indigo Moore, 27, a school administrator who lives in Manhattan. She was horrified by online videos of Mr. Pretti’s shooting. Ms. Moore said she had been to Union Square on Friday for a similarly frigid protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“At this rate I’m getting pretty angry,” she said, “and that’s what’s keeping me warm.”
Attendees expressed a mix of anguished resignation and outraged optimism about what effect the demonstration might have.
For Ella Devi, 18, a Parsons University student who lives in Manhattan and who had campaigned for Mayor Zohran Mamdani in Union Square last year, the turnout was a sign that a political movement for change was gaining force.
“I hope it puts pressure on electeds to abolish ICE,” she said.
Angela Fowler, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who lives in Manhattan, said the protest served less as a portent of a good future than as a place to mourn.
“I’m not angry, I’m hurt,” Ms. Fowler said, adding that Mr. Pretti reminded her of her seven kids, four of whom are veterans. “This is America and I love America,” she said, referring to the scene around her.
Ms. Fowler’s sign read “Protesting ICE Is Not a Crime!” Other signs read, “Stop ICE Terror,” “ICE Is Trump’s Gestapo” and “No Kings.”
Manny Vasquez, 21, a service industry worker from Queens, held a giant sign featuring the face of Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House leader, and the words: “Abolish ICE Jeffries.”
“When I saw the news I was like, ‘Lemme go outside again,” to protest, he said. “And I hate the cold. No amount of money is worth it to me to be in this cold — that’s how much I want to be here.”
“We’re facing something we’ve never faced in our country before — this level of lawlessness from a federal law enforcement agency,” said Zack Weinstein, a Manhattan resident over 60 who works as a filmmaker.
After massing at Union Square, the protesters started marching. They blocked traffic as they headed west to Sixth Avenue, north to 23rd Street and east toward Madison Square Park. The protesters then turned south and hundreds eventually rallied outside 26 Federal Plaza, ICE’s headquarters in the city.
Before joining the march, Sam Dixon, a 30-year-old art director, held a sign with an expletive telling ICE to go away. He had made it after seeing video of Mr. Pretti’s shooting.
“You see the horrors all the time and you feel so helpless,” he said. “You want action to be taken against ICE and this administration.”
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