Thousands of protesters faced snow and below-freezing temperatures in the Loop Sunday afternoon to protest ongoing violence in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda organized the protest after a federal immigration agent fatally shot 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. Pretti’s killing follows that of Renee Good, another Minneapolis resident fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier this month. Activists, immigration rights leaders, union leaders and elected officials spoke for around 40 minutes on the snow-covered Congress Plaza Gardens steps. They came with demands to defund and abolish ICE. “We are not OK with ICE killing and shooting innocent people without impunity,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said to a sea of American flags and cardboard signs. Gov. JB Pritzker called for the abolition of “Trump’s ICE” on social media and urged for a funding halt Saturday, but didn’t call for the dissolution of the agency in its entirety. Protesters yelled call and response chants against ICE, like “Say it loud, and say it clear. Immigrants are welcome here,” and “¡Fuera ICE!” Some held signs honoring Pretti, who was born in Illinois, according to The Associated Press. Following his killing, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and the Trump administration claimed that agents had acted “defensively.” Video analysis shows Pretti holding a phone, not a weapon, before agents tackle him to the ground. The agents then disarmed Pretti of a handgun before shooting him, according to The Associated Press. Pretti had a concealed carry license. “Yesterday was the day when I asked, ‘When is enough going to be enough?’” said Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. He listed the names of others killed by ICE, including Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was fatally shot by ICE in Franklin Park in September during Operation Midway Blitz. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez said she introduced legislation in Congress days ago to slash ICE funding and redirect those taxpayer dollars to community organizations. Ramirez said it is crucial to not only defund ICE but also pass legislation “so that they never harm us again.” Ramirez told the crowd that their turnout makes her confident that the country will be OK despite the actions of the federal government. “The power of the people is more powerful than the people in power,” Ramirez said. After the speeches, protesters marched north on Michigan Avenue, carrying their signs, ringing bells and blowing whistles. Xochitl Esparza, a 28-year-old immigrant rights advocate from Pilsen, said protests are important in encouraging others to stand up and fight back. “We all can play a role in any capacity to keep each other safe,” Esparza said. Retired Chicago Public Schools teacher Amy Rosenwasser said she came to the demonstration because, even after marching in protests against the Vietnam War, this is the first time she’s felt like American democracy is under attack. “To me, this is the least I could do is come and stand here,” Rosenwasser said. “If you don’t say something, you’re kind of complicit in what’s going on.” ...read more read less