LOS ANGELES / HOUSTON — Mass protests against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency erupted across the United States on Friday, January 30, 2026, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in what organizers called a national “ICE Out” day of action.
In San Francisco, California, thousands of students, workers, and anti-ICE activists gathered at Dolores Park before marching to City Hall in solidarity with ongoing demonstrations in Minneapolis. Protesters carried signs reading “Abolish ICE” and “No More Deaths,” chanting slogans against what they described as violent and unjust federal immigration raids.
Los Angeles saw some of the largest turnouts, with demonstrators converging outside the Federal Building. Protesters voiced outrage over the high-profile deaths of two American citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — killed by ICE agents during operations in Minnesota earlier this month. “I was born in Los Angeles, and I’ve seen so many of my neighbors, so many of my friends — people who helped build this city — being taken from us,” one protester told KTLA television. “I can’t stand by and watch what’s happening.”
Clashes occurred outside the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, where some demonstrators threw trash and bottles at police lines. Officers responded with pepper spray to disperse the crowd, according to local reporters on the scene. No major injuries or arrests were immediately reported.
Local leaders joined the demonstrations. US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield addressed the crowd, criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics. “We’re raising our voices as loud as we can here — and across the country,” Blumenfield said, expressing hope that the protests would pressure federal authorities to reconsider aggressive raid policies.
Hundreds of high school students staged walkouts in Los Angeles, joining marches instead of attending classes. Several businesses in Southern California announced temporary closures in solidarity with the anti-ICE movement. Organizers urged participants to skip work, school, and shopping as a form of economic non-cooperation.
In Oregon, American veterans from Veterans for Peace held a peaceful demonstration outside the Federal Building in Eugene. Group spokesperson Pat Driscoll emphasized nonviolence: “We’re not violent, we’re peacefully protesting. We’re not going to let this happen and go without standing up and speaking our minds.” The veterans called for unity between government and citizens affected by ICE operations, stating: “We have to come together. We have to organize together, because nobody else is going to protect us.”
Candlelight vigils were planned across multiple cities Friday night to honor Good, Pretti, and others killed or injured during immigration-related incidents. Organizers hope the nationwide demonstrations will build pressure on the Trump administration to scale back what protesters describe as aggressive and violent ICE tactics in Democratic-led states like California, Oregon, and Minnesota.
The protests follow intensified ICE operations under President Donald Trump’s second term, including high-profile raids in sanctuary cities and communities with large immigrant populations. The administration has defended the actions as necessary for public safety and immigration enforcement, while critics accuse ICE of racial profiling, excessive force, and disregard for due process.
No official comment was immediately issued by ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, or the White House regarding Friday’s demonstrations. The events reflect growing public mobilization against federal immigration policies, with organizers vowing continued actions in the weeks ahead.
