Shannon Heacock (right) rallies with her sister (left). Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
Hoisting signs and cheering at honking motorists, Harleysville rallygoers decried the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross
Hundreds lined the busy thoroughfare of Main Street in Harleysville Sunday, January 11 to deliver a resounding message: ICE out for Good.
The rally was part of the nationwide “ICE Out For Good” protests following last week’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross.
“She could have been me,” said Harleysville organizer Joan Rosiak. “What is happening in this country?”
Hoisting signs and cheering at honking motorists, Harleysville rallygoers decried the shooting of Good and demanded an end to the aggressive immigration policies of the Trump administration.
“It’s murder,” said co-organizer Katelyn Bashline. “And there needs to be accountability.”
“This has got to stop,” said co-organizer Mike Rosiak. “ICE is a secret service, a Gestapo-like organization. They act like they’re above the law.”
“It’s open season,” said Russ Carrick. “If it can happen to her, it can happen to me. This kind of careless gunplay with American citizens is not OK. It needs to stop.”
Protesters line the street in Harleysville at Sunday’s “ICE Out For Good” rally.
Protesters line Main Street in Harleysville.
Attendees rally against ICE.
Rallygoer Russ Carrick poses for a picture.
Rallygoers hold signs denouncing ICE.Protesters called for the prosecution of Ross and dramatic changes to ICE, with some supporting the agency’s abolition. Several noted that Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have nearly tripled ICE’s funding, while the agency has reduced its hiring standards, including eliminating age requirements and halving its training program.
“I don’t think it needs to be abolished, but it needs a complete overhaul,” said Shannon Heacock. “They need to be held accountable. They need to be held to a high standard. Right now, there is none.”
“It’s an agency run amok, and I don’t know is reform is even possible,” said volunteer Gay Brunt Miller. “The way it’s behaving now, abolish.”
Others expressed outrage at the Trump administration’s sharp defense of Ross.
“If you have [Vice President] JD Vance tweeting, ‘Don’t worry ICE. We’ve got your back,’ it’s as good as saying, ‘Open fire. You’ll be OK.’ That should terrify all of us.”
The Harleysville event was held at the same location as last year’s ‘No Kings’ rallies against the Trump administration. Organizers expressed hope that the rally will continue to foster camaraderie and solidarity among like-minded residents and help bolster their movement.
“With any rally or gathering, I hope we show others how many of us there are, and a place to re-energize so they’re in a better position to continue the fight against authoritarian takeover,” said Joan Rosiak.
“Any time we come out, the main goal is to let others driving by know that they are not alone,” said Bashline. “We are here to stay and let others know that there are people in this community who feel strongly against this government.”
While voicing their anger and demands for change, rallygoers also took time to mourn Good as well as the 30 other individuals who died in ICE custody in 2025, the highest in two decades.
“Remember her name: Renee Nicole Good,” said Mike Rosiak. “Remember all of them, even if we don’t know their names.”
“And all others who have been injured and will be injured,” said Brunt Miller.
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