{"id":129636,"date":"2026-01-12T00:09:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T00:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/129636\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T00:09:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T00:09:21","slug":"fresnos-ice-out-for-good-protest-draws-hundreds-to-river-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/129636\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno’s ‘ICE Out for Good’ protest draws hundreds to River Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tWhat’s at stake:<\/p>\n

Hundreds gathered Sunday morning at Fresno\u2019s River Park Shopping Center to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the agency\u2019s fatal shootings, including recently Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.<\/p>\n

More than 500 people gathered Sunday morning at Fresno\u2019s River Park Shopping Center to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good<\/a> by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Protesters crossing the street during the \u201cICE Out for Good\u201d demonstration. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need to know that this is seriously not OK,\u201d Mia said, who asked that her last name be withheld out of fear of retaliation. \u201cPeople are being murdered in broad daylight. We voted this into power, and we need to advocate for change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia, who was visiting Fresno from Las Vegas, said she is not used to seeing large protests where she lives. While visiting her mother, she heard about the demonstration and decided to attend.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mia, who is visiting Fresno from Las Vegas, with her sign during the protest. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

Never miss the top stories in Fresno \u2014 sign up for our free, daily newsletter.<\/p>\n

Protesters lining the streets carried signs with messages such as, \u201cDeport white supremacy,\u201d \u201cFuck ICE,\u201d \u201cHuman rights belong to everyone\u201d and \u201cResist Fascism.\u201d Many also drew their signs with caricatures of President Donald Trump as a king clutching money stained with blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organizers initially estimated the crowd at around 500 people, but that number grew throughout the morning. They reported a small group of pro-Trump protesters early in the demonstration, who they said did not cause any trouble. Fresnoland did not locate them. <\/p>\n

The protest remained peaceful, and unlike past demonstrations in Fresno, no police presence was reported on site.<\/p>\n

There has been a growing sense of frustration among protesters in Fresno over the past year. Many chanted, yelled, and played music or clips from news broadcasts, creating a noticeably more vocal and expressive atmosphere compared with previous demonstrations.<\/p>\n

This frustration stems from reports last year that immigrants attending permanent residency appointments<\/a> were being detained at Fresno\u2019s USCIS office. Tensions also rose after video emerged showing masked federal agents arresting two men<\/a> outside an office in downtown Fresno on Father\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

\"\"A protester, who asked to remain anonymous, with their destroyed American flag during the protest. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

Many of Sunday\u2019s demonstrators traveled from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and even out of state to join Fresno\u2019s protest, drawn by the city\u2019s reputation as a political \u201cred\u201d area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Trump lost Fresno County in 2016 and 2020, local voters supported him in 2024, when he collected 50.89% of the vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advocates say Good\u2019s death represents an escalation in ICE\u2019s use of force, including a separate fatal shooting of an immigrant<\/a> during a federal operation in Chicago in September and the off-duty killing of a Black man by an ICE agent<\/a> in Northridge, California on New Year\u2019s Eve. These events follow the 32 people who died in ICE custody in 2025<\/a>, making it the agency\u2019s deadliest year in over two decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Protesters and community organizers have criticized what they see as unchecked violence and abuse by federal immigration authorities amid President Donald Trump\u2019s administrations\u2019 aggressive deportation efforts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A protester wore a cow costume in homage to the \u201cOperation Inflation\u201d group, known for demonstrating in inflatable animal outfits. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world as we knew it is rapidly disintegrating,\u201d Naomi said, a frequent attendee of Fresno protests who asked that her full name not be used for fear of retaliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The killing of Good marked a turning point for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was doing nothing more than exercising her First Amendment rights, and described the video of the death as both horrific and impossible to ignore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer while in her car on Wednesday morning. Federal officials have described the incident as self-defense, but local officials, witnesses, and human rights groups dispute that characterization based on video and testimony.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, this murder was so obvious,\u201d Naomi said, \u201cI can\u2019t, in good faith, not be here. I can\u2019t live in a world like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naomi criticized the government\u2019s response to the tragedy, which she described as an effort to double down on false narratives and gaslight communities and for \u201ctaking actions without accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the second protest in Fresno this week. On Thursday, demonstrators rallied at ICE\u2019s downtown office<\/a>, which culminated in an impromptu march through downtown Fresno. Numerous protests against the Trump administration and immigration enforcement took place last year, including the \u201cNo Kings<\/a>,\u201d demonstrations, which also drew large crowds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A protester carrying an artwork depicting President Donald Trump as a poop. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

The Sunday demonstration, ICE Out For Good<\/a>, was organized by Central Valley Indivisible<\/a>, a local chapter affiliated with the national Indivisible<\/a> movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patty Cappelluti, lead organizer with Central Valley Indivisible, said the protest was organized because \u201cwe can\u2019t just let it pass by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to show our emotion,\u201d Cappelluti said. \u201cWe are watching what\u2019s happening, the brutality of ICE, and it\u2019s just not OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cappelluti said she hopes people leave the protest with a strong sense of community because there are others who see what\u2019s happening and agree that the atrocities must be confronted.<\/p>\n

Other groups supporting coordinated actions nationwide include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, and a broad coalition calling for a weekend of protests to \u201cdemand accountability, honor the life lost, and make visible the human cost of ICE\u2019s actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandra Ruth said she attended the protest because she feels constitutional rights, particularly freedom of speech, are being eroded.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sandra Ruth attended the protest because she feels constitutional rights are being eroded. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s been happening has been heartbreaking,\u201d Ruth said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added that while she feels connected to others at the protest, who seem to be following the news and social media closely, those conversations are difficult in her workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ruth said she wanted to speak out against what she sees as a deeply divisive political climate under the current presidential administration.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Castro drove from Coarsegold to attend the protest on behalf of her family, who were unable to be there. Castro said she is a member of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California, a federally recognized tribe, who are used to the injustices of people in power.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rebecca Castro holding her sign during the demonstration. Gisselle Medina | Fresnoland<\/p>\n

She described the killing as \u201ca morally wrong violation of everything that\u2019s right,\u201d adding that innocent people are being harmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be silent,\u201d Castro said. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to make us afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Support our hyperlocal reporting with a donation today. <\/p>\n

Every week we bring you deeply reported stories about the essential issues facing our region. Please help us continue our work by becoming a monthly member. <\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t