Editor’s note: This spread contains several uses of uncensored profanity. The decision to include this was not a light one; we at HSM discussed this topic and believed that to censor or remove these instances would be to unfairly represent the severity of this topic and the emotions of these protestors. They chose to use this language because it was the way in which they saw fit to express their emotions and ideas, and we believed that in order for us to report this topic with complete accuracy and respect, we needed to have their words carry the same weight here as they did at the walkouts.
Yarinet Hernandez Mendoza:
On Jan. 17, Roberto Garcia, an educator in the Edmonds School District, spotted a group of ICE agents attempting to make an arrest in South Everett, Evergreen Way. Garcia offered support to the person being arrested by recording the situation and making sure no rights were being violated. Garcia asked the ICE agents if they had a judicial warrant; they did not. The situation escalated when the ICE agents reacted to Garcia’s questioning and presence: based on video footage, Garcia began to move away, possibly due to feeling unsafe. Around 11:20 A.M., Roberto Garcia, a U.S. citizen, was caught, slammed to the ground, arrested, and threatened by ICE officers. Garcia was charged with obstruction of a federal investigation as a result of standing up for his community.
Fortunately, one of his close friends, Hector Ruiz, set up a GoFundMe to cover the cost of a lawyer and any additional legal fees. Garcia is known for standing up for his community and his fellow students; he spoke up for those who could not and, in the process, was arrested. Now, the community stood up for him. In just one week, over $20,000 was donated to support Roberto Garcia, who was released not long after. The overwhelming support for Garcia highlights the collective power of community action, reminding everyone of the importance of standing up for what is right.
David Cardwell:
In response to recent I.C.E. killings and mass deportations, many students at MTHS organized a walkout during the school day of Feb. 2. Students marched down Hawk Way, then 44th Avenue West towards 212th Street South West around midday, gathering at the intersection before returning to the high school. Students led each other in chants, such as “piggy piggy get the fuck out of our city” and held signs with phrases such as “fuck ice.” The intent of explicit chants like these is to portray a powerful emotional expression that will be noticed. Later in the day around the mid-afternoon Students from Brier Terrace Middle School and several other middle schools and elementaries gathered at the same intersection, engaged in similar chants, and held similar signs.
Moving to a larger scale, hundreds of Seattle high school students gathered around city hall to protest I.C.E. action in Washington. Jonathan Geckle, an attendee of the protest from Ballard High School, voiced concerns about I.C.E. presence in Washington. “I fucking hate them and I’m very glad that our mayor is kind of using our police force against them … things haven’t gone as bad here as they have in Minnesota and all that but like they probably would be if we weren’t doing enough shit to let I.C.E know they weren’t welcome here.” Many students stressed the importance of protest in times like this.
Mauricio Palma:
The United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, also known by its acronym I.C.E, acts under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or DHS. It was created following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Its core functions are to secure U.S. borders and safeguard immigration policy, as per their mission statement. While it has been the subject of major criticism as long as it has been active, it has arguably faced its most major and polarizing backlash due to its recent actions as of 2025 and early 2026 under the Trump-Vance administration.
One of the major events that prompted the recent protests concerning I.C.E. was the killing of United States citizen Renée Nicole Macklin Good, perpetrated by I.C.E. agent Jonathan Ross. The killing happened in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to the incident, I.C.E. agents were reportedly stuck in the snow and called for assistance. A resident said neighbors in the area stood nearby to watch for I.C.E. activity as children were dropped off at an elementary school. The DHS reported Good to have been stalking and impeding I.C.E. all day. Statements like this and others revolving around I.C.E. agents notably contradict video footage and witness statements. Many Minnesota federal officials, including attorney general Keith Ellison and Representative Ilhan Omar, reported Good to be standing as a legal observer of I.C.E. activity.
Good was in her SUV with her partner Becca after having dropped off her child at school when the first encounter between the two and agent Ross happened. During the interaction Becca was sarcastic and using coarse language, but indicated no intent of harming I.C.E. Good notably said “That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you,” moments before her death. Mixed orders were given to Good: an agent ordered her to stay in her vehicle while another agent repeatedly ordered to “get out of the fucking vehicle.” At the moment of the shooting, an agent reached into the open window of Good’s SUV and prompted her to drive forward to evade, turning her wheels to the right in the correct way of the street, avoiding Ross who stood at the front left of her vehicle. In Jonathan Ross’s video taken on his phone, Good visibly turns the steering wheel away from him before driving forward. Seconds later, Agent Ross drew his weapon and fired three shots at the windshield of Good’s vehicle, all shots hitting her with one having gone through her head. A bystander informed agents they were a physician who wanted to check Good’s pulse and provide medical care after the shooting, vocalizing his goal to an agent who said, “I don’t care” and impeded them from providing medical aid.
The event sparked a series of protests and fundraisers in support of Good’s family. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem had claimed after the shooting that agent Ross had been hit by Good’s vehicle and was hospitalized, but video analysis and a report by The Guardian stated that there was “no visible sign” of injury towards either Ross or other I.C.E. agents in the incident. Another report done by The New York Times concluded that, while it appeared as if Good’s vehicle was “making contact” with Ross, the video showed Ross moving to the left of the SUV as its wheels pointed in the opposite direction of him, and he continued shooting at the vehicle as Good drove past him.
Another case that sparked public outrage towards I.C.E. is the case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a five year old pre-schooler, and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, both recently having been released from I.C.E. custody. I.C.E. reported that it had not detained the five year old but had kept him “safe in the bitter cold.” Other reports indicate the I.C.E. agent that was with Liam had told the boy to knock on the door to his house to check if there was anyone inside. This action has been described by many as using the child as bait to capture others. Marc Prokosch, a lawyer who represented the family, told a press conference that at the time Liam and his father Adrian were being held in a detention center in Texas and lawyers were attempting to contact them. He later stated that Liam and Adrian both migrated to the United States in 2024 from Ecuador to seek asylum in the country, and that they were “not eluding I.C.E. in any way…they were following all the established protocols.”
The Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent Zena Stenvik reported that the agency had detained a total of four students in the school district, including two 17-year-olds as well as one 10-year-old. ABC News reports that the father and the son had no active order of deportation, meaning that they were being held by I.C.E. without legitimate reason. Judge Fred Biery ordered their release from the detention center and are currently back in Minneapolis.
The most recent incident and the one who caused massive public outrage and massive protests across Minneapolis was the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old United States citizen who worked as an intensive care nurse for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to the shooting, I.C.E. agents were attempting to enter a donut shop following an individual they were prosecuting who had entered into the establishment. Gregory Bovino stated that the individual had a “significant criminal history” and was an undocumented immigrant. In contrast to this claim, the Minnesota Department of Corrections reported that this individual did not have any criminal history in the state of Minnesota . The only things in his record were misdemeanor charges for traffic offenses that dated back to a decade earlier and his deportation case had been closed as of May 2022.
Pretti had been shown in video evidence to be recording Border Patrol agents when two of those agents confronted a young woman. Around the time of the shooting, two agents pushed several civilians to the ground. Pretti got in between one of the agents and a woman who had been pushed down to intervene, but was pepper-sprayed by the agent after having put his hands “briefly…on the agent’s waist.” Pretti was shoved onto the ground by one of the agents while Pretti was holding onto the woman to protect her and afterwards another agent pinned him onto the ground by his head and was punched by a pepper-spray canister multiple times. Pretti was reported by The New York Times to have made “no threatening movements towards the agents” before the situation escalated. He had a firearm on his hip, which was removed by one of the agents and, after the word “gun” was shouted, another agent who tried to pepper-spray the woman Pretti had been protecting, turned around with his gun drawn and shot Pretti once followed by three more shots even after the gun had been removed.
Forensic analysis of video footage confirmed 10 shots were fired at Pretti in about 5 seconds While the DHS later said that Pretti had approached the agents with his handgun drawn, video evidence also shows that Pretti was holding his phone in his hand instead of a firearm at the moment of the incident. Two eyewitnesses claimed that Pretti “did not brandish a gun”, and a very thorough analysis performed by BBC News achieved the same conclusion to the witnesses’ claim. Pretti was a legal holder of a gun permit which gave him the right to own a handgun, which was holstered at the time of the incident before being removed by I.C.E agents moments before being shot. Although DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” the video evidence of the incident showed no signs of Pretti with his gun drawn or used against the agents. A physician at the scene wanted to assess Pretti’s condition after the shooting but was denied entry by the agents. A court filing stated that the agents did not provide first aid to Pretti, and his body had not been positioned to provide CPR. The agents instead se emed to be counting the bullet holes in Pretti’s body. Protestors at the scene were pepper-sprayed, including a KARE 11 reporter. Federal agents fired tear gas along with stun grenades at the protesters. I.C.E. officials attempted to dismiss the local police from the scene of the incident but Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara refused to follow I.C.E. instruction. Protests in Minneapolis continue to voice civilian concern with DHS activity.
