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Las Cruces residents came together the morning of Friday, Jan. 30 to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in relation to the recent fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by an ICE agent in Minnesota.
The protest at the Downtown Plaza was organized by local advocacy groups, including the New Mexico Dream Team, Liberation Las Cruces, Indivisible Las Cruces, Party for Socialism and Liberation Las Cruces. Protesters engaged in conversations, held signs, and called for justice as a reaction to concerns over ICE’s use of deadly force.
The demonstration was in response to the Minnesota shooting that made national headlines on Jan. 24. It created widespread attention as well as criticism from civil rights organizations across the U.S. In Las Cruces, demonstrators held many signs with bold messages such as, “Who’s Next?” “End ICE,” and “Rewriting history is fascism.”
On Thursday, Jan. 29, students from Las Cruces High School, Centennial High School, Mayfield High School and Organ Mountain High School held their own walkout demonstration in response to the Minnesota incident. Students marched from Centennial High School to every other high school in the city, gathered outside of campus grounds holding hand-written signs, and advocating for immigration communities.
Both the student-led walkout and the downtown protest showcased a shared sense of unity, belief, reflection and urgency within the local community surrounding immigration enforcement.
