ITHACA, N.Y. — Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Ithaca Friday afternoon calling for an end to the Trump administration’s mass deployment of federal immigration officials in cities across the U.S.
The Ithaca rally was one of many “ICE OUT” demonstrations held across the nation today after federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minn. shot and killed U.S. citizen Alex Pretti. The ICU nurse’s death was the latest in a series at the hands of federal immigration agents.
Demonstrators in Ithaca braved single digit temperatures and wind chill as they marched down Seneca Street around 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Many waved signs condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and chanted slogans like “f*ck ICE” and “afuera ICE.”
Immigration officials have killed at least eight people since the start of the second Trump administration, including 43-year-old Keith Porter Jr. and 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Dozens of others have died in federal detention centers.
So far, ICE has had a limited physical presence in the Ithaca area. Last January, federal agents arrested a man in a high-profile raid in downtown Ithaca, exactly one year from Friday’s rally. There have been reports of at least one other federal immigration enforcement action in the county since the start of the second Trump administration.
Use the arrows to the left and right of the image to navigate the gallery, or swipe if reading on mobile. Photos by Casey Martin, Megan Zerez and Jimmy Jordan.
An empty Tompkins County Sheriff SUV could be seen parked on Seneca Street as Friday’s protest began, but local police presence appeared minimal. Demonstrators in hi-vis vests and coats were on hand to stop and later direct traffic away from the march.
Ithaca resident and demonstrator Josh Dolan said he felt that while protests are commonplace in Ithaca, it was good to see so many people turn out.
“Communities of color have been warning about this for decades,” Dolan said. “But now you see white people people getting killed in the streets. So now people are starting to wake up to the reality that we live in a total fascist police state.”
A number of local progressive organizations and labor unions were involved in the Ithaca rally, including the Ithaca Tenants Union, Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America, United Auto Workers Local 2300 and the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, among others.
Organizers of national demonstrations also called for a “general strike,” in which participants stay home from work or school and refrain from making unnecessary purchases.
Several local businesses, like Buffalo Street Books, Stonebend Farm and South Hill Cider, closed their doors in solidarity with the strike. Others remained open but opted to donate all or a portion of their Jan. 30 profits to immigration focused causes.
Some also offered special items condemning the Trump administration’s immigration crack down. Wide Awake Bakery sold sourdough loaves with the words “F*CK ICE” etched onto the crust; Cafe DeWitt offered an “ICE OUT” spiced latte.
Local labor leaders, like Ithaca Teachers Association President Kathryn Cernera, said she had heard from many union members who wanted to participate in the demonstrations. But teachers, like public workers, are subject to the Taylor Law, which limits their ability to participate in work stoppages.
“It may not be safe to bring a child to a strike or to a protest right now,” Cernera said. “So what we can do, as an act of collective community care, is go to work to keep children safe so that their caregivers can take to the streets. That’s the role we, as teachers, can play.”
Bike Walk Tompkins, a local organization that runs a free bicycle repair shop, provided free rides on Ithaca Bike Share bicycles through the weekend. The organization is among hundreds of local bike shops organizing a “protest-ride” Saturday afternoon.
Ana Ortiz was one of several people who addressed the crowd before they set off down Seneca Street. She urged protestors to continue to stay engaged in their own community.
“We can show one more time these people in the government that we can have each other’s [backs], that we are here for a cause,” Ortiz said. “Go take care of your neighbors. Take care of your children right here. Do not let the fear get to you.”
Ortiz, who is from Puerto Rico, runs local food pantry and social welfare organization No Mas Lagrimas.
“It can be snow, it can be rain, it can be a storm next to us,” Ortiz said. “But we’re going to come out and fight for our lives.”
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