Dozens rally at Tacoma City Hall demanding ICE to leave

TACOMA, Wash. - Dozens packed a Tacoma City Council meeting Tuesday night, demanding they kick ICE out of the city. But before they packed that meeting, they first rallied outside city hall. 

"Are we ready to fight? Yeah! Are you ready to fight? Yeah!" the crowd chanted.

Small in size, but loud and strong in their convictions, around 70 people stood outside of Tacoma City Hall using their voices to demand change. They told FOX 13 they have six demands, including passing a resolution that doesn’t recognize ICE’s authority to operate in the city. They also demand that ICE abductions be considered unlawful.

"I think it’s really, really important to stand up in really terrifying times to show people that it can be done, needs to be done and it will succeed," said Charlie Allen with the Pierce County Immigration Alliance. 

Dig deeper:

After they rallied, the group then moved inside to the city council meeting filling the council chambers.

"Let this be the day that action is taken, let this be the day people see change," one person said during the public comment portion of the meeting.

One by one, they delivered their demands to the council face to face. 

"None of us are safe from immigration terrorists, it spills over and hurts all of us," another person said.

"This is not public safety, this is mass terror and state violence. We must join other cities and say enough is enough," another person commented.

What they're saying:

Those who protested weren’t the only ones who voiced their concerns on Tuesday. 

"Public safety, first and foremost, has to be your constitutional liberties as a resident of Tacoma, not just a citizen," Tacoma Mayor Ibsen said.

He, along with the council, also addressed the crowd.

"I am a foreign-born immigrant and I know the fear and anxiety I wrote about," Councilmember Sadalge said.

"As the council's first and now only Latina and a queer woman, I think this shooting has really hit me in the emotions in a deep way, not just because of the identity of the person killed but because it’s literally anybody, it's everybody, we’re all under attack," Councilmember Diaz said.

"This is the beginning of a conversation, we are absolutely not celebrating or resting on our laurels because there is nothing here worth celebrating, this is about managing the pain and doing better," Mayor Ibsen said.

The council also released a statement on Tuesday night which said, in part:

"We, the City Council, condemn the senseless killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and community.

"Over the last year, this federal administration has continued to promote actions and policies that sow fear and anxiety in our communities. This fear has become so pervasive that many of our neighbors now share their concerns only in whispers, afraid that speaking out – or even being seen – could put their families at risk. The shooting of Ms. Good is the latest consequence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s reckless tactics.

"We are deeply alarmed by reports documenting the far-reaching damage of these operations, including tragic accounts of individuals who have died while in federal custody. Independent media investigations, including recent data published by ProPublica, indicate that these tactics have resulted in the wrongful detainment and mistreatment of over 170 U.S. citizens. Combined with reports of deaths in ICE custody, this statistic underscores a chaotic approach to enforcement that endangers everyone, regardless of immigration status.

"Whenever safe and feasible, the City of Tacoma’s use of force policies require de-escalation that is available and appropriate and mandate warnings before the discharge of a weapon. We hold our Police officers to these high standards because the City of Tacoma is committed to protecting the rights and welfare of all its residents.

"Everyone in Tacoma deserves to live safely, with dignity, and without fear."

What's next:

The group who rallied told FOX 13 they plan to be back in Tacoma for next week’s city council meeting.

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