Cleveland Activists Plan Public Square Anti-ICE Protest After Second Fatal Minneapolis Immigration-Enforcement Shooting In January

What’s planned in Cleveland

Cleveland activists are organizing an emergency protest targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Public Square, scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday. The demonstration is being framed by organizers as a response to two fatal encounters involving federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis this month, events that have intensified national debate over enforcement tactics, the use of force and oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

City officials in Cleveland have publicly condemned the loss of life and urged steps that reduce fear and escalation. The planned protest follows earlier local mobilization after the first Minneapolis killing, when hundreds gathered downtown Cleveland and marched to Public Square.

The Minneapolis killings that prompted the protests

The most recent Minneapolis death occurred Saturday, Jan. 24, when Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed during an encounter with federal immigration personnel. A federal notification describing the incident states that officers attempted to take Pretti into custody, a struggle followed, and two federal officers fired their weapons. The same account indicates a Border Patrol agent repeatedly warned that Pretti had a gun.

The earlier case in Minneapolis occurred on Jan. 7, when Renée Good, 37, was fatally shot during an immigration-related operation. The back-to-back deaths have fueled protests and heightened scrutiny of federal operations in Minneapolis and beyond.

Federal response and ongoing scrutiny

In Washington, the Pretti shooting has triggered broader attention to DHS and immigration enforcement activity. Federal officials have said an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the Jan. 24 shooting. Separately, Minnesota’s top federal judge has taken the unusual step of ordering ICE’s acting director to appear in court amid concerns raised in immigration-related litigation stemming from the enforcement surge and detention practices.

The broader enforcement push has also generated diplomatic friction. Ecuador’s government filed a formal objection after an incident in Minneapolis in which immigration agents attempted to enter Ecuador’s consulate without permission.

Local context: Cleveland police messaging and community concerns

In mid-January, Cleveland police said they reviewed multiple reported ICE sightings and found no evidence of ICE raids in the city. The department reiterated that Cleveland officers do not enforce general federal immigration law and that officers will not ask people about immigration status.

Those statements came amid heightened public anxiety and increased organizing activity, including student-led walkouts in the Cleveland area that focused on immigrant safety and community inclusion.

Key dates

• Jan. 7, 2026: Renée Good killed during an immigration-related operation in Minneapolis.
• Jan. 24, 2026: Alex Pretti killed in Minneapolis during an encounter involving federal immigration personnel.
• Tuesday (upcoming): Cleveland protest planned at Public Square at 5 p.m.

Planned demonstrations, official statements and court actions are converging into a wider test of how federal immigration enforcement is conducted, reviewed and constrained.