By Megan SaylesAFRO Employees Writermsayles@afro.com
Protestors throughout the nation gathered to sentence the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 20, marking one 12 months because the forty seventh president took workplace and issued plenty of anti-immigration government orders. The demonstrations have been a part of a nationwide “Free America Walkout,” spearheaded by Girls’s March and supported by 50501and Colour of Change, that urged individuals to depart colleges, workplaces and companies in a present of opposition.
In Baltimore, residents and native social justice organizations assembled on the nook of Japanese and Linwood Avenues in Patterson Park.
“Dissent with out motion is simply hole phrases. We should actively work to inhibit ICE. They are going to kill us. They killed Renee Good. They killed Keith Porter Jr. They are going to kill once more,” mentioned Arjun Janakan, organizer with Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America. “I say the battle towards ICE have to be escalated. I wish to know every thing about these masked males coming into our metropolis. I wish to know the place they sleep, the place they eat and each transfer they make. I wish to confront them each step of the best way. I wish to make the job of being an ICE company in Baltimore not possible.”
Although the protests have been sparked by the Jan. 7 demise of Renee Good , previous to her brutal killing, Keith Porter Jr., a Black man, was shot and killed by ICE brokers on Dec. 31 simply earlier than the brand new 12 months struck.
Porter, a 43-year-old father of two, was shot by an off-duty ICE agent exterior of his house in Northridge, Calif. On that day, Porter’s household mentioned he was ringing within the New Yr by firing celebratory gunshots into the air. The ICE officer, nonetheless, believed that Porter posed a risk and went exterior to confront him.
Porter’s cousin, Jsané Tyler, spoke on his killing throughout a Jan. 15 assembly hosted by Black Lives Matter Grassroots.
“As a substitute of that gentleman disengaging fully if he actually thought that my cousin was a risk, he determined to return into his residence, placed on full tactical gear, seize his service weapon and are available exterior and shoot my cousin useless,” mentioned Tyler.
She asserted that federal leaders have tried to color Porter as an lively shooter or a home terrorist. She, nonetheless, described him as an infectiously joyous one who can be missed enormously by his associates, household and associates.
“My cousin wasn’t even taking pictures when the person got here again exterior, he was turning to return into his residence. He undoubtedly wasn’t a risk at the moment,” mentioned Tyler. “Anyone else who would have caught themselves performing such a cowardly vigilantism would have already been arrested and can be going through prices.”
Porter’s household is asking for the officer to be named, arrested and convicted.
“We additionally wish to be sure that the actual story of who Keith was and who he’s in our recollections doesn’t die,” mentioned Tyler. “We would like individuals to know what they stole from us–two daughters now don’t have a father, a mom now not has her son who was her finest buddy and solely little one.”
Because the forty seventh president took workplace, ICE’s enforcement techniques have drawn nationwide scrutiny, with activists, lawmakers and neighborhood organizations criticizing the company for utilizing lethal power with minimal oversight.
The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety reported that greater than 605,000 individuals have been deported since Jan. 20, 2025, together with an extra 1.9 million individuals who reportedly left the nation voluntarily. ICE information additionally reveals that at the very least 30 individuals died within the company’s custody in 2025.
“Persons are pissed off. It’s attending to the purpose the place issues have change into so loopy that it’s forcing individuals to depart their houses to place ft on the pavement, make their voices heard and determine how they are often of service,” mentioned Brandon Balmer, a Baltimore protestor.
Syierra DeBow, one other protestor, agreed with Balmer. She mentioned individuals throughout the nation are experiencing a shared sentiment of exasperation and anger.
“It’s not simply occurring in Baltimore. It’s not simply occurring in Minneapolis. In every single place, lots of people are saying it’s time to face out and converse out as a result of at this level it’s disgusting and vile,” mentioned Debow. “It’s a lived expertise that not solely the Hispanic neighborhood has skilled however the Black neighborhood too. Different marginalized communities have skilled oppression in these methods. It’s a systemic challenge that must be addressed.”
