An “I like my ICE crushed” protest was held in the University of Idaho library courtyard, with between 150 and 200 people participating, on the evening of Friday, Jan 30.
The protest was organized by Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Association, a UI student activism group, with the stated purpose of furthering the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Palouse and beyond. Members of Indivisible Moscow, the College Democrats at UI and the Young Democrats of America UI chapter were invited to speak at the protest.
The protest at UI was part of a national protest weekend organized to stand with those who have been killed and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and was a second general strike following the protest one week earlier on Jan. 23 centered in Minneapolis. The Jan. 30 protest sought specifically to commemorate Alex Pretti, who had been killed by ICE agents on Jan. 24, and Renee Nicole Good, who was killed on Jan. 7.
“The idea that you are surrounded by all of these people who hate you is not strictly true, there are so many avenues for action, and there are so many people out there who are fighting for them, and you have the option to fight for people too,” said John Bueno, president of the College Democrats of UI, who was one of the main speakers at the event.
During Bueno’s speech, he pushed for people to join activist groups such as the College Democrats at UI or SOGI-A or participate in a protest organized by Indivisible Moscow.
“I think silence is really, really bad when the world is burning down around us,” said Sarah, who works as a chef and artist.
Other protesters were drawn in by the treatment of people who are being detained by ICE.
“Anyone supporting [Trump] actively benefits from the subjection of other people in the United States, and that is an epidemic,” said Christian, a full-time faculty member at UI.
Other protesters said they felt it was important to show solidarity with the people protesting across the country and made a deliberate choice to attend instead of working.
Protesters also brought homemade signs, written in both English and Spanish, which called for the abolishment of ICE, stood in support of immigrant rights, or compared the agency to the Confederate States of America and the KKK.
American flags and colors were also present at the protest and some protesters carried signs with bible verses such as “love thy neighbor.”
Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected].