Tampa, FL – On a balmy Saturday evening at Tampa City Hall, January 24, the Tampa community came out for another emergency action after federal agents executed a Minneapolis man, Alex Pretti, for observing ICE operations.

The rally coincided with the nearby Gasparilla Children’s Parade, which meant pirate-themed floats drove by as activists demanded justice for the murder of Alex Pretti, and for ICE to be removed from Tampa and all cities across the country. The rally was called by Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, responding to a call to action from the Legalization for All network, had a couple hundred attendees as well as heavy news coverage. The atmosphere was one of anger and defiance, not the helplessness that Trump wants.

Speakers from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, all united around the demand for legalization for all, ICE out of our cities, stop the deportations, and the end of the 287(g) agreement between Tampa Police Department and ICE. This agreement, signed in secret, allows Tampa cops to act as immigration enforcement agents, which given the string of murders already perpetrated by ICE endangers the people of Tampa.

Vicky Tong, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, summarized the past year of repression, “Trump has deployed ICE to enforce a racist anti-immigrant agenda targeting Chicanos, Mexicanos, Central Americans, Somalis and others. People standing in solidarity with immigrants, like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, acting as community observers, are apparently targets too.”

Joseph Nohava, of the Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, speaking of the dangers of allowing Tampa police to act as immigration agents, asked the crowd, “We’ve seen what immigration police are allowed to get away with already. We’ve seen it in Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, and across the country. Do you want that in Tampa? Do you think our city’s 287(g) agreement makes our community in any way safer?” The crowd responded with a resounding, “No!”

The rally concluded with a request for all present to take part in TampaIRC’s calls and emails to Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa Police Chief Bercaw, and Tampa City Council, to demand an end to the 287(g) agreement.

As the final speech wrapped up, one last parade float honked in support of the rally, to cheers from the crowd.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TampaIRC #AlexPretti

Tampa, FL – On Friday afternoon, January 9, the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee held a second emergency rally in front of Tampa City Hall in as many days to protest yet another ICE shooting, this time in Portland, Oregon. About 30 people attended the event.

Two Venezuelan immigrants, Luis David Nino-Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, were shot and injured when a Customs and Border Patrol agent fired into the car during a traffic stop. The activists demanded justice for those murdered by ICE and federal agents, as well as getting ICE out of their community.

As part of the demand for ICE to get out of their communities, those gathered demanded that the Tampa city government cancel the 287(g) agreement with ICE that allows Tampa Police Department officers to act as immigration police.

Customs and Border Patrol claimed the agent was acting in “self-defense,” much as they claimed they were acting in self-defense when ICE agent Johnathan Ross murdered observer Renee Good in Minneapolis. That was shown to be a lie by the multiple videos of the event. Federal agents have a long history of making bogus claims of “self-defense,” such as in the case of Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman, who was shot five times by a CBP agent who claimed self-defense, but the prosecutors had to drop the charges against her because they were lies.

The rally featured speakers from Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society. Speakers were united in the demand to arrest and charge killer ICE agent Jonathan Ross and to get ICE off our streets.

Victoria Hinkley, with Tampa Bay SDS, stated: “We must continue to organize, no matter what violence agents show towards us. These racist feds in our communities won’t back down unless we make them and show them that ICE is not welcome in our streets.”

Gia Davila, of FRSO, explained, “These tragic losses of life are just the tip of the iceberg of what ICE has been doing for decades, and what they will continue to do if we do not stand up to demand ICE out of our cities. ICE continues to harass Chicanos and immigrants every day, murdering, racially profiling, harassing, and kidnapping and deporting our brothers and sisters. The capitalists blame and criticize people when it’s their system that’s unlivable.”

The attendees vowed to continue to make Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s life uncomfortable and expose her collaboration with ICE until she cancels the 287(g) agreement with ICE and gets these murderous thugs out of our communities, and to build toward an anti-Trump rally on January 20 to mark one year of his administration.

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #TampaBaySDS #TampaIRC #FRSO

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, January 9, over 100 Tampa community members rallied in solidarity and protest against the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. The event was held at Tampa City Hall.

The event was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society and the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee. The protest called for ICE out of everywhere, stop the deportations, justice for all murdered by ICE, and justice for Renee Good. The crowd chanted “ICE off our streets,” “Say her name! Renee Nicole Good!” and “No troops on the ground, no ICE in our streets, end 287(g)!” Several drivers passing by the event honked and cheered in support.

Speakers highlighted the false narrative put out by the Trump administration on the ICE shooting of Renee Good. Vicky Tong from Tampa Bay SDS said that the people see the administration's lies “for what it is: yet another instance of ICE thugs abusing their power and authority to create violence and fear within our community.”

Harrison Lundy from Voices of Florida said, “Every single ICE agent that has had a hand in state-sponsored violence needs to be held accountable.” Laura Rodriguez from the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression also spoke on the need for accountability saying, “We will not stop until Jonathan Ross is not only arrested but also convicted.”

Yunqing Zheng, a member of the TampaIRC, connected the murder of Renee Good to the violence from ICE in Tampa, “We’re here to say that we’re not going to wait for another Renee Good or Kieth Porter. What we are going to do is demand that our local officials do their damn jobs. We demand that the local officials of Tampa take an active stance in protecting their immigrant communities.”

Zheng continued, “We’re here to demand that Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa city council, and Tampa Police Chief Bercaw end Tampa’s 287(g) agreement.”

#TampaFL #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #TampaBaySDS #VoicesofFlorida #TampaIRC

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, November 29, Tampa community members rallied in solidarity with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients impacted by a Texas ruling. They also rallied against the Trump agenda.

Protesters stood on the street corner and loudly chanted, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state!” and “Trump escucha! Estamos en la lucha!” Many passersby and drivers shouted support and honked. People held signs in English and Spanish that read, “Stop the deportations,” “Legalization for all” and “Uphold DACA.”

The Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee (TampaIRC) rallied in response to the filing in Texas of the final set of briefs regarding a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court. This case claims that it is illegal for the federal government to issue work permits to DACA recipients. Earlier this year, the case was brought down to U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who will decide how to apply the ruling in Texas only. The briefs were filed on Monday, November 24, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

“DACA, although a great first step, is not enough,” said Erain Boxtha, a member of the TampaIRC, adding, “We need a permanent solution. We need a solution that will disallow ICE, CPB and DHS from roaming our communities, from tearing apart our families. What we need is a pathway for legalization for all.”

“The Trump administration wants us afraid. They want us divided. But we are not afraid, and we damn sure are not divided,” said Ryan Freymuller of Tampa Bay SDS.

Joseph Nohava, a member of TampaIRC, talked about the complicity of local officials in the Trump agenda, “Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor and Police Chief Bercaw have decided to sign on [to the 287(g) agreement] and would rather that we not talk about that. But we’re going to talk about that.”

287(g) agreements allow state and local police departments to carry out the functions of ICE officers. Tampa Police Department recently received $430,000 to train officers in immigration enforcement tactics. As of June 2025, Florida leads the country in the number of state and local agencies that have signed onto this agreement.

Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (Tampa Bay SDS), El Pueblo Unido Tampa Bay, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Center for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) all had speakers.

The rally was endorsed by 15 local and state organizations including: Progressive People’s Action, Progressive Jewish Coalition of the Tampa Bay Area, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Wildcat Students for a Democratic Society (Wharton High School), Elevate Through Respect, American Indian Movement Florida, Malaya Florida, Palestine Pals of Tampa Bay, Florida for Change, American Muslims for Palestine Florida, Venceremos Brigade Florida, and New Era Young Lords Florida.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #TampaIRC