Maplewood resident Melissa Citro said she couldn’t take another day of doomscrolling last week, so instead, she organized an Ice Out of SOMA protest in front of Maplewood Town Hall through the Action Network. And for three hours on Saturday, protesters braved temperatures as low as 19 degrees to stand against what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been doing in Minnesota, New Jersey and elsewhere.
They came, per her invitation to “stand in solidarity with immigrants, with 5-year-old Liam Ramos, with the great people of Minnesota, with Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter, Jean Wilson Brutus, the Delaney Hall detainees, and all who are suffering and dying in ICE custody.”
At the protest’s peak, she said, about 150 protestors were there at the same time, including Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca and Deputy Mayor Malia Herman and Township Committee Member Dean Dafis. As cars passed the protesters, who lined either side of the street cheering and blowing whistles, many drivers honked and waved.
Photos by Columbia High School student and Village Green freelancer Aidan Heindl.
At its peak, there were about 150 people braving the cold to protest ICE on Saturday. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
The protest organizer, Melissa Citro. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca (center) and Deputy Mayor Malia Herman and Township Committee Member Dean Dafis were among those who attended the protest. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
People bundled up and braved Saturday’s cold to protest ICE. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Protesters lined either side of Valley Street in front of Maplewood Town Hall on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, with about 150 in attendance at its peak. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Protestors braved the cold to send a message on Saturday, January 31, 2026. (Photo by Aidan Heindl)
Photo by Aidan Heindl
Photo by Aidan Heindl
Photo by Aidan Heindl
Photo by Aidan Heindl
