‘ICE Out’ protest held at U.S. Consulate in Vancouver

An "Ice Out for Good" demonstration was held outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Vancouver on Sunday, Jan. 11.

Roughly two-dozen demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Vancouver Sunday to rally in solidarity with protests being held against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents south of the border.

Several thousand people have participated in “ICE Out for Good” demonstrations in cities across the U.S. over the weekend in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

“This killing is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against members of our communities,” the organization behind the event, Indivisible Vancouver, wrote in the event’s description.

“We in Canada stand with the U.S. In July Indivisible Vancouver held an anti-ICE rally to speak out against Canadians being detained in ICE facilities. Let’s make our voices heard again.”

A demonstrator in a pink inflatable frog costume held a sign reading “ICE out, hands off Greenland, no new wars, release the files.” Some used the symbol of a crossed-out crown popularized at “No Kings” rallies in the U.S.

“For the past year and a bit, it has felt like my childhood home is burning,” said Jen Gagnon, a dual citizen originally from the U.S.

She founded Indivisible Vancouver shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a group for Americans and dual citizens living in Canada with the goal to “preserve democracy, Canadian sovereignty, voting rights for overseas citizens, equal rights for all, solidarity and good relationships with our cross-border neighbours.”

She urged fellow U.S. citizens to vote from abroad, and for Canadians to continue using “economic resistance” as a tool, citing the American tourism and alcohol industries hit hard by boycotts.

“What (Canadians) can also do is get involved, just in our politics in general, to take the fire and demand more of our politicians,” she said. “We need to get involved, and we need to stop fascism now, because we see what happens if we wait.”