Protesters rally at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Jan. 29, 2026 to condemn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, recent shootings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and other deaths in ICE custody, and call on the Alaska congressional delegation to vote against further federal funding for the agency. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Over the last week, Alaskans joined dozens of states protesting the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota and nationwide. The walk outs, demonstrations and business closures in Alaska come after ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
In the last few weeks, Alaskans have rallied in freezing temperatures to protest the actions of ICE and the Trump administration, including in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Homer, Sitka and Juneau.
On Friday, hundreds of high school students walked out of classes in Fairbanks and in Anchorage as part of a nationwide general strike. Over 100 nurses and other health care workers rallied in support at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage on Friday. Several small businesses closed Friday in Juneau, and others organized donations over the weekend to organizations in Minnesota.
Roughly 200 Juneau residents rallied in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, holding signs, singing and chanting. Demonstrators condemn the actions of ICE agents, the recent killings of Pretti and Good, and other deaths in ICE custody this year.
“ICE’s lawless activity in cities around the country is dismantling our civil liberties, the justice that we did have, the terrifying occupations in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. are not far from our doorstep. They are already eroding our rights in every state,” said Juneau resident Ariel Hasse-Zamudio, speaking to the crowd.
Speakers and demonstrators denounced the increased violence by federal agents in a nationwide immigration crackdown, citing at least eight people who’ve died after encounters with ICE so far in 2026, and at least 32 deaths in ICE custody last year, as reported by the Guardian.
“They are paid with our tax dollars to stand on the streets. So we must stand up. The rise of fascism depends on how we, the people, stand up. And in Alaska, we are a small, tight knit community with an outsized influence,” Hasse-Zamudio said. “We stand up for our fellow Americans. We stand up for ourselves, for each other and for our future.”
Demonstrators called on Alaska’s congressional delegation to stand with Democrats and vote against funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including funding for ICE, the root of the conflict now driving a partial government shutdown to begin this weekend.
U.S Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, recently joined calls for the resignation of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, which protesters applauded on Thursday. “I’m asking her to follow through and to publicly and directly support that impeachment, not for a Democratic agenda, but for the agenda of the people,” said Denali Marin, an organizer and Juneau resident.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
