Over 300 people gathered Thursday evening outside Dallas City Hall as part of an ongoing protest of stepped-up activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, which has become a new flashpoint following the death last weekend of a Minneapolis ICU nurse.
With patches of ice still visible in some places in downtown, the demonstrators assembled for a rescheduled protest that had been originally set for two days ago but was hastily postponed because of the recent winter blast that walloped North Texas.
“We’re not cold, we’re not afraid. Alex taught us to be brave,” the demonstrators chanted in weather in which the temperatures were in the upper 50s.
The chant continued to name those who have died or been detained by ICE, including Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both 37, and Maher Tarabishi, who was barred from attending the funeral of his disabled son while the father was in ICE custody.
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Participants also carried several signs with messages, “I’d like some humanity with my ICE” and “Dallas, stand up. Fight back.”
Amid the chilly weather, organizers offered pan dulce and hot chocolate to those who braved the cold climate to attend the rally.
Some yelled “Love each other” as they stood in groups and gathered around a table covered in candles and flowers, honoring other protesters who have died during confrontations with federal immigration officers.
Thursday’s protest follows four others in January that saw hundreds of participants across North Texas.
The most recent rally occurred on Jan. 20, where more than 300 attendees joined organizers in demanding justice for those who have died in ICE’s hands.
The death of Pretti on Jan. 24 followed the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good on Jan. 7, marking the second death this month that occurred during their involvement with federal immigration officers in Minnesota.
The day after Good’s death, federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Oregon.
“What’s happening is so unfair, and we’re here to remember Renee Nicole Good and many others who were murdered by people who are in our streets causing fear and intimidation,” said Azael Alvarez with El Movimiento DFW.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that the White House needs to “recalibrate” ICE’s mission to rebuild public trust after Pretti’s shooting.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also joined in urging President Donald Trump to reset the administration’s public messaging about ICE operations as videos of the shootings have contributed to an increasingly negative outlook on his handling of immigration.