Gianna Hayes
News Editor
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, over one hundred students, faculty and Wooster community members lined the sidewalks in front of Lowry Student Center at 6:00 p.m. to protest the Trump Administration’s recent large-scale deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE), most notably in Minneapolis. Minnesota residents took to the streets to protest violent arrests and deportations, racial profiling and the killing of Renée Good by ICE agent Jonathon Ross.
The protest was organized in part by the Wooster chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Wooster Advocacy Group and Wooster Defends Democracy. Chase Dettman ’29, a member of DSA, shared that there were many other groups who co-sponsored the protest. “It was really a bunch of groups that collaborated,” Dettman said. “We all coordinated together, because ever since the killing of Renée Good, I think there’s been some energy for people to speak their minds, because there’s a lot of dissatisfaction about this paramilitary organization just gunning down random people for filming them.”
Ava Fink ’26, president of the Wooster Democrats, a student organization at the College, was also present and hoped that the protest would be “community building and attention grabbing.” Wooster Democrats did not officially organize the protest, but co-sponsored and encouraged their members to attend.
Protesters held signs and participated in chants while passing cars honked their support. Signs read “ICE is America’s Gestapo,” “IMMIGRANTS made America great!” and “ICE WOULD KILL JESUS.” Chants were largely led by community member Ian Burns along with students Sarah Buchholtz ’28 and Zach Goode ’26, who passed a megaphone between themselves and a few others. Chants included “no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” “say it loud, say it clear, immigrants belong here” and “I hate Kristi Noem.”
Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has fallen under scrutiny for comments characterizing Good as a “domestic terror[ist]” — which have led many to call for her impeachment, with Congresswoman Robin Kelly introducing articles of impeachment against her on Jan. 14. The killing of peaceful protester Alex Pretti by ICE agents on Jan. 24 and Noem’s suggestion that Pretti was also a domestic terrorist have led to Senator Jacky Rosen also calling for Noem’s impeachment.
Minneapolis resident Kristen Townsend ’28 was among the many students in attendance. “I really can’t do anything for Minneapolis right now from where I am, so I gotta do it somewhere,” Townsend said. Speaking about the current political climate in Minneapolis, she said that “it’s a lot like what happened right after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the city is not back from that yet … we can’t trust our police after that. A lot of downtown is still boarded up, and I think it’s going to be like that for a long time now.”
Michele Leiby, professor of political science at the College who cohosted a Justice Dialogue on the current immigration crisis, was among the faculty who attended the protest. She cited “systemic, structural, intentional human rights violations, violations of the law [and] violations of due process” as reasons for attending the protest. “I hope this is the beginning of a movement, a beginning of this community coming together more frequently than it has in the past … making connections with the many immigrants who call Wooster and Wayne County their home, because community protects community. During authoritarian times, our best source of protection is each other.”
Around 6:45, Ian Burns delivered prepared remarks, quoting activist Mario Savio, who led the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in the 1960s. Burns cited “the insidious logic of capitalism” as the reason that “fascism [has] develop[ed] on our streets in ICE uniforms.” Burns ended his speech by drawing attention to the general strike that occurred in Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 23, and encouraged protesters to strike in solidarity.
