A crowd of over 200 Milwaukeeans braved subzero temperatures Jan. 24, joining a nationwide protest against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. The protest specifically followed the death of a civilian protester identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse from Green Bay, Wisconsin, who was killed in Minneapolis by an ICE officer that morning.
Protesters marched from Red Arrow Park to Water Street carrying signs reading “F*** ICE,” and “No ICE, No KKK, No Fascist USA.”
Organizers from the Milwaukee branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Comité Sin Fronteras, a committee providing support for undocumented immigrants, chanted “It’s our duty, it’s our right! Fight, fight fight!” from the back of a blue pickup truck while they guided the march.
The march ended at 310 E Knapp St. — a building leased by the Department of Homeland Security on the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s campus. Streets were not shut down for the march, and protesters waited at stop lights before proceeding towards the DHS building.
Milwaukee Police Department vehicles followed the procession down Water Street. In a comment to the Marquette Wire, MPD said when they are aware of a demonstration its policy is to safeguard the expression of individuals’ First Amendments rights while prioritizing the safety of the surrounding community.
“I think we’re making our voices heard. We’re letting Minneapolis know that they’re not alone, and that people are here standing with them,” Sabrina Bukvich, a 30-year-old rally attendee from West Allis, said.
The rally, which activists called an “emergency march,” was announced on Instagram shortly after Pretti was fatally shot by ICE officers. Just three hours later, protesters gathered at Red Arrow Park.
“The fact that something happened so last-minute is honestly not unexpected, considering what ICE has been doing,” a 24-year-old attendee from Milwaukee who asked to be identified as Amanda P. said.
Organizers at the rally condemned violent ICE responses toward protesters in Minneapolis. Pretti was the third individual shot by immigration enforcement this month in Minneapolis.
“[The murder] this morning is a continuation of this terrorism from these federal forces,” Joshua Taylor, a Milwaukee PSL organizer, said.
In addition to denouncing immigration enforcement, the crowd of protesters also expressed frustration toward politicians, including House Democrats who voted in support of a bill that would increase funding to the Department of Homeland Security.
“The Democratic Party has to be stronger and find their spine and speak up, we just had seven Democrats who voted to continue funding ICE,” Ann, a 65-year-old attendee from Brown Deer, said.
Ann attended the rally with her brother, Bud, a 69-year-old from Milwaukee, whose daughter lives in Minneapolis.
“I want to show solidarity for the Twin Cities. I want to show protest against ICE and its tactics,” Bud said. “It’s been brutal.”
The event emcee, another member of Milwaukee PSL who identified himself as Raul, spoke to the crowd and repeated the sentiment, calling the actions of ICE officers a “murderous, racist, ethnic cleansing campaign.”
As protesters approached the DHS building, they formed an active picket line while two more speakers led chants to criticize ICE and President Donald Trump’s administration. After 15 minutes, organizers led a march back to Red Arrow Park.
ICE violence in Minneapolis led to nationwide protests
In the past month, three individuals have been shot by ICE amid protests in Minneapolis.
Pretti, the Green Bay man who was shot and killed on Jan. 24, approached ICE officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, DHS said in a statement following the shooting. According to Homeland Security, officers attempted to disarm Pretti, but he resisted, and an officer — who has not been identified — fired five shots, killing Pretti.
Video footage contradicts DHS’s statement, showing Pretti only holding a phone recording ICE officers. Then, officers appear to retrieve the handgun from Pretti’s waist before fatally shooting Pretti.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Jan. 24 that Pretti was a legal gun owner with a permit to carry a firearm.
Also in Minneapolis, 37-year-old mother Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who opened fire into her SUV after she partially blocked a road.
One week later, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celia, a Venezuelan national, was shot in the leg during an altercation with ICE.
Shortly after Pretti was killed, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin said, “Another totally unnecessary tragedy. These masked, armed, and untrained ICE agents are totally out of control and making Minneapolis less safe. This has all gone too far, and the President needs to put an end to this. Get ICE out of Minneapolis,” in a post on X.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers also took to X to say, “Wisconsin stands with Minnesota.”
Evers said in an interview with The Cap Times that he is “absolutely” preparing for ICE presence in Wisconsin. This comes as reports of ICE officers in Milwaukee neighborhoods have been circulating on social media from immigrant rights organizations, highlighting growing fears about ICE activity on Milwaukee streets.
The Milwaukee PSL is organizing a second emergency protest of the Pretti shooting. It’s planned for Jan. 28 outside the Knapp Street DHS building
“Let’s come together as Milwaukee on Wednesday to stand with the people of Minneapolis and immigrant communities,” the Milwaukee PSL said in an Instagram post announcing the event.
This story was written by Joseph Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected].
