About 150 people gathered in downtown Baltimore tonight to demand justice for Alex Pretti and call for an end to the immigration crackdown that has sent armed federal agents into Minneapolis as well as Baltimore and cities across the county.

Organizers condemned the killing of 37-year-old Pretti today by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis and earlier this month the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

“These incidents are part of the nationwide campaign of terror that Trump has unleashed with ICE and border patrol as its front line enforcers,” a speaker said, addressing the crowd assembled on a frosty night at War Memorial Plaza ahead of what forecasters say will be a major snowstorm.

Participants pointed to federal agents’ actions locally in the Baltimore area, including a Christmas Eve incident in which federal agents opened fire on a van carrying a man they were pursuing.

A Portuguese immigrant who overstayed his visa, Tiago Sousa-Martins was shot in the leg and back by ICE agents who said they were “performing field operations” in the parking lot of a Lowe’s in Glen Burnie. He’s now facing federal charges of resisting arrest.

“Not only did they shoot this man, they also lied about almost all of the details about it, including blaming him for the injury of another passenger who was actually in an ICE vehicle at the time,” the speaker continued, as the crowd chanted “Shame!”

Along Fayette Street, protesters flashed a display of homemade signs with messages like “ICE is a domestic terrorist organization,” “ICE kills” and “Resist tyranny before it’s too late.”

An organizer of the hastily planned event said one reason for the turnout was heightened concern that “ICE is here now.”

“It was horrifying to see what happened in Minneapolis today,” said Jake Ecker, with the Baltimore branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. “But it underscores the need now more than ever to act against this and to stand against this terrorism in our neighborhoods and stand with our communities against it.”

Ecker, a city school teacher, said he experiences it on a daily basis.

“I live in Highlandtown, and neighbors are getting taken by ICE,” he said. “You hear messages, and you’re in the chats and hearing that ICE is abducting another person almost every day from our communities. ”

He said other groups organizing tonight’s action include the Baltimore branch of Democratic Socialists of America, the Free State Coalition, Indivisible Baltimore City, Black Alliance for Peace Baltimore, Eyes on ICE and General Strike Maryland.

Angry and Upset

Asked what brought him out on such a bitter cold night, Baltimore resident Siyyaha Crawford said he wanted to “augment” the size of the crowd and its message of protest.

A city resident standing near him who didn’t want to give his name had strong feelings about the demonstration.

“If Minneapolis can protest in weather that’s even colder, I felt like I should come out, too,” he said.

On Friday thousands of people streamed through the streets of Minneapolis, demanding that federal agents end the weeks-long crackdown.

After social media erupted today with videos showing multiple agents tackling Pretti – who was down on the ground when the shots rang out – irate residents again poured into the snowy Minneapolis streets, confronting the armed agents who responded with teargas and flashbangs.

The Baltimore man had a similar reaction when he saw what happened to Pretti.

“I was angry and upset, and it felt like injustice, and it didn’t feel like the America that I know,” he said, adding, “I think there is hope as long as people get angry and get together and fight back.”

Asked  what concrete actions the protesters are calling for, Ecker said for the agents who shot Good and Pretti to be criminally prosecuted.

“But longer term, we don’t need ICE in Baltimore, and Minneapolis does not benefit and is no safer with ICE,” he said. “We believe that ICE should be out of our communities altogether.”