Hundreds took to the streets of Milwaukee Tuesday night to protest recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Protesters gathered at Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee shortly after 6 p.m. for a march organized in response to the recent immigration raids in Los Angeles and the Trump administration’s and law enforcement’s reaction to anti-ICE protests.
During a short speech before the march, Raul Rios, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said he was concerned about President Donald Trump’s decision to send 2,000 National Guard members to the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
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“Immigrants are and always have been a main part of the working class of this country,” Rios said. “Whether you were born here or in another country, all working people want the exact same thing — to provide a decent life for our families and to live in peace with our rights.”
“Everyone who cares about free speech and the right to dissent needs to speak out against this repression by the Trump administration,” Rios added.
Protests that began in Los Angeles have spread to other cities. As marchers gathered in Milwaukee, crowds were also demonstrating in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and elsewhere across the nation.
At the Milwaukee park, people chanted, “Donald Trump, let’s be clear, immigrants are welcome here,” and, “No ICE, no walls, free our families, free them all.”
“The people of Los Angeles, the people of America have a right to protest that is constitutionally protected, and today we affirm that right,” Eva Mucka, another organizer, told the crowd at the park.
Protesters then marched about 10 blocks to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security office building.
Dave Wanninger, a Milwaukee resident, said he came to the march to speak out against Trump’s immigration policies.
“I feel like I have to say something, so this is my chance to say something,” Wanninger said. “I’m just an old white guy and I’m going to march with all of my friends, all my citizens, all the immigrants. We’re marching together. It’s about being together.”
A man who identified himself only by his first name, Cordell, said he was walking home from the gym when he saw the protesters marching in the street.
He decided to join in.
“You just got to stand up and do something,” Cordell said.
A recent post on X by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency recently arrested 118 immigrants in Los Angeles.
“Our officers and agents continued to enforce immigration law in LA, despite the violent protesters,” the social media post said.
The protest comes as immigration activists in Milwaukee have called out recent actions by ICE agents in the city.
ICE agents arrested Ramon Morales Reyes, a 54-year-old immigrant living in Milwaukee, in May. Morales Reyes is facing deportation after a man admitted to sending letters threatening to kill President Donald Trump under the immigrant’s name.
The arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan has also been a point of focus for activists. Dugan is facing federal criminal charges after she allegedly helped a man evade immigration enforcement in April.
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