Dozens of demonstrators gathered in Bayside on Jan. 30, 2026 to protest recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and stand in solidarity with Minnesota.
The protest, hosted by the Party of Socialism and Liberation’s Miami branch, was part of a national “shutdown” that encouraged protesters to skip school and work, avoid engaging with the economy and attend demonstrations. It was held in front of Miami’s Torch of Friendship, a historic monument erected in 1960 to welcome immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Those in attendance held up handmade signs that called for the abolishment of ICE and justice for affected families. One sign quoted Broadway’s “Hamilton”: “Immigrants, we get the job done.”
Maria Franzblau, co-chair of the Miami Democratic Socialists of America, is the daughter of an immigrant. According to Franzblau, the crowd is likely made up of “a lot of people who are either immigrants themselves or whose family are immigrants.”
In an opinion article published by The Miami Herald last June, the Editorial Board wrote that part of what makes Miami so unique is that it was “proudly and undeniably built by waves of immigrants and refugees.”
“[ICE] is coming after our nurses, our doctors, activists, teachers, union members, mothers and fathers, children,” said Franzblau. “They’re coming for our people, our communities, and that needs to come to an end.”
Accounting for 22% of the state’s total population, approximately 5 million immigrants call Florida home, including an estimated 925,000 undocumented immigrants. In Miami, immigrants make up 65% of the labor force.
Last June, Miami city commissioners voted to allow local police officers to collaborate with ICE. Since President Trump’s reelection, more than 20,000 Floridians have been arrested on immigration related charges.
“We are here to show that Miami will not stand by while our city [and] our government collaborates with ICE on deportation,” said Claudia Rodriguez, an organizer with the South Florida Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “What we are experiencing here is unjust, and it is honestly an attack on all of our rights.”
Alex Pretti and Renee Good are two of the eight known people to have died at the hands of ICE agents this year. They were U.S. citizens.
Amongst the mass protests in solidarity of these and other incidents were members of the University of Miami community.
Tyler Bouma, a UM alum, held up a sign that read: “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“I feel like, as someone that has privilege, I need to be here, giving a voice to these people,” said Bouma. “I believe in human decency and dignity and that’s not what we’re seeing in the streets these days. It’s murder and hatred.”