Editor’s note: This article was republished on Feb. 4, 2026 following an updated website transfer that caused it to be removed. The article was originally published on Jan. 30, 2026.
Students for Socialism at the University of California, Irvine (SFS) organized a protest on Jan. 23 in solidarity with Labor on the Line — a labor movement from Minneapolis currently engaging in a strike against the killing of Renee Good.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026. According to video footage, Good refused to exit her car when approached by officers and instead attempted to drive forward, at which point she was shot and later died.
In response, businesses in Minnesota participated in an economic blackout Friday while thousands of people marched in protest of ICE presence in their neighborhoods.
Following other nationwide protests supporting Minnesota’s blackout, SFS at UCI organized a rally on campus. Student protesters gathered on the steps across from Croul Hall, holding signs that read “Fight ignorance, not immigrants” and “Immigration makes America great.”
“We’re here as community members to support the UCI students, UCI organizations who are here demanding justice for Renee Nicole Goode, for Keith Porter, for all the people who have been killed by ICE, including people in detention,” a representative of SFS at UCI said.
Keith Porter Jr., a 43-year-old man, was killed on New Year’s Eve outside his Los Angeles apartment building by an off-duty ICE officer. The shooting of Good has reignited calls for the arrest of the officer who killed Porter as well.
Orange County has grappled with ICE presence numerous times over the last year, with cities like Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana having to provide emergency funds to people impacted by raids.
“OC has seen over the past — I mean, really a year — but these past two weeks have been really bad. There was a raid in Santa Ana. There was [a] huge police ICE presence in Fullerton just yesterday. And we’re sick of it. We’re sick of our neighbors being terrorized,” the aforementioned representative told New University.
Lauriana Adriano, the president of SFS at UCI, opened the rally with a speech listing the demands of the protest, calling “to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis” and for the arrest of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Renee Good.
“We can’t let justice be pushed aside by politicians who will pay lip service to our struggles, and either do nothing or stab us in the back while they’re at it,” Adriano said. “So, the demand is clear. Arrest Jonathan Ross. Jail killer ICE agents, and we want ICE out of everywhere.”
The next speech was delivered by a member of Resist U.S.-Led War UCI, who asked to be referred to as Alex. Resist U.S.-Led War UCI is the local chapter of a national movement opposing US-led imperialism.
“Our university has only perpetuated the rising fascism of the U.S. as they continue to put the interests of militarism and war over the needs of students and workers,” Alex said.
UC Irvine’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering lists Boeing and Raytheon amongst others in their list of corporate affiliates that collaborate on research and development with faculty and students while doing business with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
“They pour billions of dollars into university corporate partnerships with transnational weapons companies like Boeing and Raytheon that directly contribute to ICE militarization and the militarization of our homelands,” Alex said.
After the speeches, the rally moved along Ring Road, led by a banner reading “Students unite against the billionaire right.” Protesters chanted, “ICE out of our neighborhoods,” and “Money for jobs and education, not for ICE and deportation.”
Vicky Carillo, a first-year student participating in the protest said her Latina identity was a strong factor in her attendance, adding that seeing people come out in solidarity gave her hope.
“With this protest, I really hope that they really get the hint and make sure that ICE doesn’t come on this campus, not even just with the Latino communities, but because there’s a lot of people here who are here on visas, without naturalization,” Carillo told New University.
After completing a loop around Ring Road, the rally made its way to the flagpoles and gathered on the steps outside Aldrich Hall.
Right outside the administration building, Ballet Folklórico de UCI performed a dance set to three songs. The group’s outreach coordinator, Evangeline Coetez, said it was important to show up for the cause and demonstrate “the power that we show through dance.”
The rally concluded with speeches from Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán and the United Auto Workers Local 4811, both speaking in solidarity with immigrant communities and highlighting the interconnected nature of the struggles faced by working-class people everywhere.
Areesha Hasan is a news intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at hasanaf@uci.edu
Edited by Grace Hefner and Sasha Alikhanov
