People across the state gathered Sunday to protest the fatal shooting of a former Wisconsin man by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis.
The post Gatherings across Wisconsin protest ICE shooting of Alex Pretti appeared first on WPR.
A woman kneels and prays as hundreds gather around a growing memorial site at 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue, where federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Alex Pretti Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 earlier in the day. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
More than 1,000 people gathered for a vigil and rally Saturday night at Whittier Park in Minneapolis to mourn Alex Pretti, the man who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents. After the vigil, demonstrators marched in subzero temperatures to the site where Pretti was killed on Nicollet Avenue, south of 26th Street.
The site of the shooting has been turned into a makeshift memorial of candles and flowers, less than two miles away from the memorial in the Powderhorn neighborhood made for Renee Good on Jan. 7, the day she was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Since Pretti’s killing, which drew hundreds of protestors in the immediate aftermath, people have built barricades out of dumpsters, trash cans and picnic tables to block off traffic from the surrounding streets. Before a swell of demonstrators arrived from the Whittier Park vigil, the area was mostly quiet, with hundreds huddled around his memorial.
Isabelle Atem, a nurse who drove in from Woodbury, cried as she said: “I thought it was just a dream, but I’m here now. It feels real. It really happened. You know, in a movie, when you shoot people, I know it’s fake. I never knew it (could be) real.”
Atem said she felt bad when she found out Pretti was also a nurse. In a statement to multiple news outlets, Pretti’s parents said he was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital.
“Nurses are out there to help people. Why are they killing? Why are they shooting?” Atem said.
Atem, an immigrant from Cameroon, said that despite being a U.S. citizen, she has been afraid to go outside amid the surge of over 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota, who have detained residents regardless of their citizenship status.
People were handing out warm drinks and food — fried rice, hummus — from local restaurants at tables at Pretti’s memorial. Glam Doll Donuts, across the street from where the Border Patrol agent shot Pretti, was open after hours and filled with people looking to stay warm.
As demonstrators from the nearby vigil filtered onto Nicollet, chanting, Jake Anderson handed out the last of the three gallons of chicken wild rice soup he had made that day.
Anderson, who lives in the Whittier neighborhood where Pretti was killed, said that he came to support everyone marching “a brutal takeover of our city by totalitarian ICE members and people who don’t actually care about safety in our community.”
“I think there’s a lot of outrage and rage clearly, but there’s also just a sense of community,” he said, as a man complimented his soup.
Some demonstrators banged on dumpsters with hammers and their hands as people chanted: “No Justice, No Peace” and “F*ck ICE.”
The parents of Alex Pretti, Michael and Susan Pretti, released a statement Saturday, castigating the Trump administration for slandering their son with “sickening lies” that they called “reprehensible and disgusting.”
They defended their son’s conduct, saying he was protecting a woman who had been pushed down by federal agents. “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”
This story was originally produced by Minnesota Reformer, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Tens of thousands of people march in downtown Minneapolis in subzero temperatures to protest the massive presence of ICE agents over the past several weeks Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Tens of thousands of Minnesotans marched in downtown Minneapolis Friday in a negative 30 degree windchill to protest the federal government’s continuing surge of immigration enforcement — demanding civil rights and a withdrawal of the 3,000 officers sent here by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The demonstration took place on “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth & Freedom,” a general strike supported by Minnesota unions, progressive faith leaders and community activists. Proponents encouraged all Minnesotans to stay home from work, school and refrain from shopping — disruptions of normal orders of business to protest the presence of federal immigration agents in Minnesota.
The massive protest began at The Commons Park at 2 p.m. in Minneapolis. The march ended with a rally at Target Center.
Natasha Dockter, the first vice president of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators’ teachers chapter, handed out hand warmers to demonstrators at The Commons alongside other teachers.
“I’m out here today because what’s going on in our city is completely and totally unacceptable. It’s impacting the lives of our students and their families that we serve,” Dockter said.
Sergey Goro and Ben Daniel were visiting the Twin Cities from San Francisco and Seattle for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, which was delayed due to the extreme cold.
Goro said that he’d been to No Kings protests — demonstrations against the Trump administration’s authoritarian policies — in San Francisco, but that they weren’t as large as the Minneapolis protest.
Daniel agreed: “We can really feel that everyone’s on board here — that this is ridiculous and it’s gotta stop.”
Daniela Morales, 16, carrying a Mexican flag, said her parents are both Mexican immigrants and that she attended the protest on behalf of people who can’t speak out.
“I’m really glad to see everybody come out and support each other and our neighbors and fight against the administration,” Morales said.
A morning protest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport led to the arrests of roughly 100 clergy by MSP and Bloomington law enforcement Friday, according to a statement from protest organizers.
Demonstrators at the airport were standing or kneeling on the roadway outside Terminal 1’s departures area and led away by law enforcement.
Jeff Lea, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said in an email that the airport “worked in advance with event organizers to best accommodate their right to freedom of expression while also ensuring uninterrupted operations.”
“When the permitted activity went beyond the agreed-upon terms, MSP Airport Police began taking necessary action, including arrests, to protect public safety, airport security and access to Terminal 1,” Lea wrote. Lea confirmed there were around 100 arrests.
At least one demonstrator was also arrested at the nearby Whipple Federal Building, where federal agents deployed chemical irritants into a crowd of protestors, the Star Tribune reported. Around noon, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office announced that it had given three dispersal orders for protestors to unblock an access road at the building. The Whipple Building, now a base for federal immigration operations, has been an ongoing site of protests.
Life stood still Friday for many Minnesotans. Over 700 businesses closed Friday to support the “ICE Out” day, according to Bring Me The News, which is keeping a running list.
“It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents and call for Congress to immediately intervene,” the demonstration’s website states.
Over a dozen churches across Minnesota announced prayer vigils to “mourn, pray and plant seeds of hope with one another,” according to ISAIAH, the nonprofit coalition of Minnesota faith and community groups.
Dozens of school districts across the state closed Friday because of the dangerously cold temperatures. Minneapolis Public Schools were already planned to be closed Friday for a teacher record-keeping day.
This story was originally produced by Minnesota Reformer, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
A version of this story was originally published by WPR.
Thousands of protesters across the state joined the second wave of nationwide “No Kings” protests on Saturday.
The protests were held in cities and rural communities in all parts of Wisconsin. Protesters said they hoped to bring attention to what they call an authoritarian power grab by President Donald Trump.
In Milwaukee, crowds at Cathedral Square Park chanted and marched. Many held signs making fun of the president; some wore costumes — a frog suit, an inflatable Cookie Monster — joining a trend that began during protests of immigration raids in Portland, Oregon. There were many American flags, upright and upside down, along with flags of other nations.
Chad Bowman, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community or Mohican Nation, donned a ceremonial ribbon shirt and part of his dancing regalia. Bowman says he is proud to be an American.
“I’m Native, and I believe in this country,” Bowman said. “I believe in democracy, and Trump and his cronies are ruining it.”
A Milwaukee protester wearing an inflatable unicorn costume and swinging an American flag said she dressed that way “because it’s ridiculous to suggest that we’re criminals, or illegal or terrorists.” She said her name was Mary but declined to give her full name, fearing retaliation for her participation in the protests. She said she has family members who are federal employees who are not working due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“They can’t stand not being able to do what they are … passionate about doing for the American people,” she said.
In Madison, thousands marched from McPike Park on their way to the state Capitol. Many carried American flags as a marching band played.
Joe Myatt of Janesville carried a sign bearing a quote from Thomas Jefferson. He said he’s concerned about the “shift towards authoritarianism” in the U.S. and around the world.
“Basically, Trump’s trying to consolidate as much force into the office of the presidency and he’s violating the Constitution by doing it,” Myatt said.
Parto Shahidi of Madison said she showed up at the protest to support freedom and democracy. Shahidi said those rights are the reason she came to the U.S. from Iran 30 years ago.
“I became a U.S. citizen just for that,” she said. “And if I want to lose it, I will go back home — there is no freedom there.”
And as in Milwaukee, many protesters posed for photos in inflatable get-ups. That included multiple people dressed as frogs, and Leo Thull of McFarland, who wore a hot dog suit.
“Seeing America slowly descend into fascism is terrifying,” he said. “But with fascists like these, I feel like the greatest power we have is to be more ridiculous than they are. That’s why I’m dressed up as a hot dog today.”
Donna Miazga of Waunakee carried a sign that said “They blame immigrants so you won’t blame billionaires.”
She said she’s been disturbed to by “Gestapo”-like images of arrests by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who “take people without due process.”
“I feel like it’s just about splitting us in two and fostering hate toward people who are even the slightest bit different,” Miazga said of the Trump’s approach to immigration.
The last major nationwide No Kings protest was in June, when as many as 5 million people took to the streets, including thousands in Milwaukee and an estimated 15,000 in Madison.
As in the case of earlier protests, communities throughout the state hosted demonstrations and marches. National organizers boasted that more than 2,700 events are planned nationwide, including in Wisconsin from Superior to Kenosha.
In Appleton, hundreds lined the streets of downtown. Organizers said nearly 1,000 people attended in the Door County community of Juddville. In the Wausau area, as many as 1,000 protesters lined Rib Mountain Drive. Protesters demonstrated in Janesville, Spooner, Waupaca and Rhinelander, among dozens of other locations.
In Rice Lake, which has a population of about 9,000, more than 700 people attended a rally, said organizer Mark Sherman — including some in frog, unicorn, shark and fairy costumes.
“We had a fun, peaceful, beautiful rally on a beautiful day,” said Sherman, 76, of Rice Lake.
He noted that he and a fellow Rice Lake organizer are both veterans, and said they were moved to get involved because of the oath they took to defend the U.S. Constitution.
Organizers of the rallies include labor unions, local Democratic Party chapters and aligned advocacy groups. The national organizers say the goal of the protests is to build a nonviolent movement to “remind the world America has no kings and the power belongs to the people.”
Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson have called the events “hate America rallies.” On social media, Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden called the event “Election Denier Fest 2025.”
Editor’s note: WPR’s Rob Mentzer contributed to this story.
Wisconsinites protest Trump administration at ‘No Kings’ rallies — with signs and unicorn suits is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
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