Anti-ICE protest held Saturday near Fulton County Courthouse in Rochester

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 11:12 AM

By Shelby Lopez

Despite frigid temperatures this weekend, around 30 protesters took stand at the southwest corner of the Fulton County Court House at Ninth and Main St in Rochester on Jan. 24 to protest what they feel is a federal overreach with ICE and the recent crack down on immigration.

At the same time the small protest gathered in Rochester, Minneapolis, MN was filled with chaos after protester Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed after a confrontation with a border patrol agent during an ICE arrest.

Among the protesters on Saturday was Fulton County Democratic Party Chair Josh Zehner.

"I am happy we had so many passionate people show up in Rochester despite the bitter cold. It is encouraging that we received so much support from passersby with countless thumbs up and honks. It is unfortunate that while we were demonstrating against the overreach of ICE in our country, there was another civilian killed in Minneapolis. It really highlights exactly why we were standing out there and why our country needs to peacefully protest against such travesties. Change needs to happen all across our country and that happens at the grassroots," Zehner said.