TL/DR –
A peaceful vigil was held to honor victims of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence, attended by roughly 2,000 people in New York City. The event was organized by different labor and community organizations, and participants included nurses, students, teachers, and others from a wide range of backgrounds. The speakers named those killed by ICE and Border Patrol in 2026, emphasized that immigrants are welcome, and called for accountability for these deaths.
New Yorkers rally against ICE
Roughly 25,000 New Yorkers marched the streets of Lower Manhattan, calling for the abolition of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in response to the victims of Donald Trump’s war on migrants.
A smaller gathering of about 2,000 people took place outside a Veterans Affairs hospital at 1st Avenue and East 23rd street. This event was organized by various labor and community organizations including National Nurses United and New York State Nurses Association.
The attendees ranged from young to old, students to teachers and represented every race and color. Many held signs calling for the abolition of ICE, expressing their solidarity and shared outrage. Laughter, smiles, and warmth filled the crowd despite the winter cold, creating a united front.
The crowd was particularly outraged at the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of ICE. Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, spoke about the 30-plus immigrants who have died in ICE custody and stressed the importance of remembering their names.
After a moment of silence, the crowd resumed chanting, expressing their support for immigrants and their determination to fight for justice. Many attendees expressed their love for their fellow New Yorkers and called for unity and protection of each other.
The vigil ended with the crowd creating a makeshift memorial against the hospital wall, placing candles, flowers, and framed photographs of ICE’s victims. The memorial stood as a testament to their shared grief and recognition of the human cost of the immigration crisis.
As people dispersed, a poster saying ‘Justice for Pretti, Alex Pretti. Hero’ stuck in a snowbank served as a stark reminder of the individual lives lost in this struggle.
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Sources:
Rolling Stone: ICE
Rolling Stone: Alex Pretti
New York Daily News: ICE shooting victim Alex Pretti vigil draws crowd
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