Denver MLK Day action protests ICE attacks

Denver — At the Denver Capitol on Jan. 17, over 600 very loud, mainly young people marched to protest the violent ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis. Organizers felt that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend was a perfect moment to combine the struggles against racism and ICE violence. 

The Trump administration has sent ICE into many cities to attack and literally kidnap immigrants. Congress provided a large amount of money to hire ICE agents; many were members of gangs or far-right neo-fascist organizations like the Proud Boys before being hired. 

ICE has been shown to break down doors without warrants and violently drag people out of cars to arrest them. The people attacked are largely Latine and brown skinned. While victims scream that they are citizens, they are still arrested and put in detention by ICE. A number of Indigenous people have also been falsely arrested and jailed.

There are multiple videos of severe, illegal ICE violence. One depicts a U.S. citizen, a 16-year-old teen, being held in a chokehold. According to Pro Publica, the use of chokeholds has been reported over 40 times and has caused some victims to lose consciousness and even convulse. Videos on the internet show an ICE agent placing his knees on the neck and back of a nurse thrown to the ground who was in pain and unable to breathe.

Another video shows a father holding his baby and refusing to let go of his child and get out of his car. An ICE agent then applies pressure to his carotid artery, causing the father to violently seize. ICE has been referred to as Trump’s Gestapo. 

The anger at ICE agents who have been sent into communities to attack and terrorize residents and tear families apart is palpable. Neighborhood teams have formed to follow ICE agents and protect the community by alerting its residents. In Minneapolis, there are groups providing food and other needs for people who are afraid to come out of their houses. 

The killing of Renee Good was a national signal that ICE is an out-of-control, paramilitary, armed group willing to attack and kill immigrants and anyone who supports them or just happens to be nearby. ICE is not accountable to anyone and a danger to all workers and families.