More than 1,000 rally in Manhattan to denounce ICE after Alex Jeffrey Pretti's killing

More than a thousand demonstrators rallied on short notice at Union Square in Manhattan late Saturday afternoon to protest the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency after the death of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a registered nurse who was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis earlier on Saturday.

Protesters braved frigid temperatures and an approaching winter storm, with signs reading “Justice for Alex” and chants of “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE.” Attendees expressed a mix of anguished resignation and outraged optimism: Alli Malafronte, 61, said she was more enraged than before, Indigo Moore, 27, said she was horrified by online videos of the shooting, and Ella Devi, 18, said she hoped the turnout would put pressure on elected officials to abolish ICE.

After massing at Union Square the crowd marched, blocking traffic as it moved west to Sixth Avenue, north to 23rd Street, east toward Madison Square Park and then south, with hundreds eventually rallying outside 26 Federal Plaza, ICE’s New York headquarters. Signs at the protest included “Protesting ICE Is Not a Crime!” and “Stop ICE Terror,” and participants such as Zack Weinstein and Sam Dixon voiced concerns about federal lawlessness and a desire for action.

Key Topics

Politics, Ice, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Union Square, Minneapolis, Hakeem Jeffries