Juneau protestors urge lawmakers to defund Homeland Security after Minneapolis killings

Over 200 people gathered at the Dimond Courthouse plaza on Thursday to speak out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, mirroring similar protests around the country following two killings by federal agents in Minneapolis. The hour-long rally was peaceful, with attendees singing together, holding bags and boxes of salt and chanting, “Melt ICE.”

Denali Marin began organizing the protest following a vigil held last Saturday, Jan. 24, for 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a registered nurse who was killed by federal officers during a protest in Minneapolis.

In eyewitness videos, ICE agents are seen pinning Pretti to the ground before shooting him 10 times in under five seconds, according to reporting from the New York Times. Protesters also held signs with Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident ICE agents shot and killed on Jan. 7, and Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old boy who was detained on Jan. 20.

“I want to be very clear about what we’re asking for today — not vague statements, not calls to lower the temperature and not investigations that lead to nowhere,” Marin told the crowd. “Today, I’m calling on our national leaders to act.”

She urged attendees to take action by asking their representatives to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and defund ICE.

University of Alaska Fairbanks student Emma Sulczynski said folks can also speak with their wallets by boycotting companies that support ICE and participating in a national anti-ICE strike on Friday simply by staying home from school or work and holding off on making any purchases.

“The terrifying occupations in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. are not far from our doorstep,” Ariel Hasse-Zamudio said. “They are already eroding our rights in every state. Who are these ICE agents to invade our personhood? Who are they to question our status, or to judge based off of racial profiling?”

Just hours after the protest, seven Senate Republicans joined Democrats in D.C. in voting to block a bill that would have included $10 billion for ICE. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both voted in favor of it.

The lawmakers ultimately settled on a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks while they continue negotiating restrictions on the agency’s immigration crackdown.

Marin, who studies political science at the University of Alaska Southeast, said holding civil communication across the political spectrum is important right now.

“It’s important to be open to having conversations with people and promote open dialogue without shutting people down,” Marin said. “You know, you can’t reinforce ideas if you just yell them at people. You have to have open communication.”