Tampa protests ICE murder Alex Pretti
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.