Hundreds Protest ICE Killings in Downtown Milwaukee

Activists, students, and community members gather to denounce deaths at the hands of federal immigration agents.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Milwaukee on January 28th to protest the killings of civilians by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The emergency march, organized by local social justice groups, featured chants, dancing, and a march through the MSOE campus as the crowd grew to fill two city blocks. Protesters spoke out against the administration's attacks on immigrants, citizens, and hard-working people, not just 'criminals' as claimed.

Why it matters

The protest highlights growing outrage over ICE's use of lethal force and the impact on immigrant communities, students, and the broader public who fear deportation and violence from federal immigration authorities. It also reflects a broader movement against systemic racism and police brutality targeting marginalized groups.

The details

The protest was organized by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression and other local social justice groups. Protesters chanted, danced, and marched through downtown Milwaukee, filling two city blocks as the crowd grew. Speakers named several individuals killed by ICE agents and condemned the administration's attacks on immigrants, citizens, and working people.

  • The protest took place on January 28, 2026.
  • The Instagram post promoting the march was posted by various social justice groups prior to the event.

The players

Alan Chavoya

Organizer of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression, who kicked off the protest by naming victims killed by ICE.

Fiona Evans

A teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools system who protested in support of her immigrant students who fear deportation and avoid going to school.

Joette Rockow

An advertising professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has attended previous protests against immigration policies and for the Black Lives Matter movement.

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What they’re saying

“It's not criminals being killed by ICE or CBP, it's regular people that have done nothing wrong, it's hard working people.”

— Alan Chavoya, Organizer, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression

“I know that they're scared, and they don't come to school only to learn, they come to school to get warm, to get fed and to be cared for by their teachers and their peers.”

— Fiona Evans, Teacher, Milwaukee Public Schools

“This is about the foundation of our freedoms in this country.”

— Joette Rockow, Advertising Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

What’s next

Organizers say they will continue to hold protests and advocate for policy changes to address ICE's use of lethal force and protect immigrant communities.

The takeaway

The protest reflects the growing grassroots movement against systemic racism, police brutality, and the federal government's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that are having a chilling effect on immigrant communities and the broader public.