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‘WE WANT ICE OUT OF SIGHT’ Thousands rally for ‘Salt the Earth’ protest Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Demonstrators advocated for the abolishment of ICE and voiced solidarity with immigrants
Protestors demonstrate on the Diag during the Salt The Earth protest Friday afternoon.
ZAHRA KAGAL Daily Staff Reporter
Over 1,000 students and community members gathered on the Diag Friday afternoon for “Salt the Earth,” a protest opposing escalating federal immigration enforcement and advocating for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protest — part of a nationwide wave of anti-ICE demonstrations sparked by the recent fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti — drew students to the heart of campus to voice solidarity with immigrant communities
and condemn brutality by enforcement agencies. The event was organized by a coalition of student groups at the University of Michigan, including Wolverines for Abdul, La Casa, First-Generation PreLaw Students, Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc., the University’s chapter of College Democrats and the Human Rights Party. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA sophomore William Lewis, Wolverines for Abdul member and an event organizer, said the protest’s central demand was the abolition of ICE. “We felt like now was the time to capitalize on that energy and show statewide
that students are really fed up with what’s happening,” Lewis said. “The goal is to abolish ICE. We’ve seen that ICE has completely ignored the Constitution. They’ve started going into places without warrants; they think they don’t even need a warrant.” The protest began with organizers reading aloud the names of individuals killed by ICE in 2026 so far — Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Pretti, Good, Keith Porter Jr., Luis Beltrán Yáñez-Cruz, and Geraldo Lunas Campos — followed by a moment of silence in their honor. Student speakers from each organization then gave speeches
NEWS BRIEFS
Los Alamos confirms UMich data center to be used for nuclear weapons research
“The short answer is yes, because aspects of a nuclear weapon is key to our simulation expertise.” GLENN HEDIN Daily News Editor
A representative of Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed nuclear weapons research will be a priority for its portion of the data center it intends to construct in collaboration with the University of Michigan in Ypsilanti Township. Patrick Fitch, deputy laboratory director for science, technology, and engineering at Los Alamos, was present at the University’s open house on the project in Ypsilanti Thursday. When The Michigan Daily asked if Los Alamos intended to use its portion of the data center to support nuclear weapons research, Fitch said yes. “The short answer is yes, because aspects of a nuclear weapon is key to our simulation expertise,” Fitch said. “We want this loop to include large investments in national security, so
that spins back into the basic science, and what we learn here — that list of non-nuclear weapons stuff — spins into nuclear weapons.” The proposed data center has garnered significant opposition from Ypsilanti residents and U-M community members who worry about its potential to negatively impact the surrounding environment and electrical grid, as well the possibility that the facility could be used in the development of nuclear weapons. The University has maintained the facility will not “manufacture” nuclear weapons. Some activists consider this statement misleading, as data centers are generally used for computing activities and not manufacturing. However, their computing capabilities could be used to support nuclear research in other ways, including in the production of plutonium pits, which serve as the cores of nuclear weapons. While
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plutonium pits need not be located at a data center, their development requires intensive computing power. Los Alamos has operated under federal directive to modernize the United State’s nuclear arsenal through the development of these pits since 2018. In an interview with The Daily held the day prior to the open house, Chris Kolb, University vice president for government relations, said the University’s previous statements regarding the data center’s potential role in nuclear weapons development were not misleading. “We’ve never shied away from identifying Los Alamos once we were able to publicly, or the mission they have,” Kolb said. “They’ve talked about four main components. One is to maintain the viability of our nuclear stockpile.”
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condemning ICE and calling for solidarity with undocumented and immigrant communities. LSA senior Sean Shelbrock, HRP co-president, addressed the crowd, calling the protest a part of a broader political moment. “We have seen fascist policy, brutal policy and inhumane policy after inhumane policy attempt to tear us apart, divide us and brutalize our neighbors and citizens,” Shelbrock said. “They want us to cower in fear. They want us to respond with timidness. But what are we going to do? We’re going to show up.” In an interview with The Daily, Shelbrock said the protest was motivated by empathy and solidarity. He said its
primary goals were educating the community and sustaining long-term organizing efforts. “We’re out here fighting out of love for our neighbors,” Shelbrock said. “I hope that people go into tomorrow and go into the future and keep that spirit, keep fighting for one another and keep organizing.” Public Policy junior Aidan Rozema, member of College Democrats, called on attendees to take action against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. “After the deportation of 230,000 people, you have to look around and see what’s going on,” Rozema said. “We see immigrant children shouting for freedom in detention centers. We see lies
Georgia McKay/DAILY
spoken behind a government podium asking us to deny the evidence of our eyes and ears. Will these atrocities finally move America to action?” In an interview with The Daily, protest attendee Ivy KowalczykCarr said she participated in the demonstration understanding that fear surrounding increased immigration enforcement impacts people’s sense of safety. “I’m sure seeing ICE agents makes people feel unsafe and unconnected,” Kowalczyk-Carr said. “I want more people to wake up; some of them are misinformed or they just don’t care, but they need to wake up and see what’s really going on here.”
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NEWS BRIEFS
ICE takes Ypsilanti Community Schools parents into custody The arrests took place at a bus stop during student drop-off times
GIA VERMA & CHRISTINA ZHANG Daily News Editor & Managing News Editor
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were reported to be present near an Ypsilanti Community Schools campus Jan. 27, taking several parents into custody while off school grounds, according to a letter sent to Ypsilanti families from YCS Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross. The letter did not indicate that any students were detained. Zachery-Ross wrote the district does not voluntarily cooperate with ICE and strives to maintain a protected space for all students. “Our district policy remains unchanged. We do not voluntarily cooperate with ICE, nor do we grant them access to our school buildings or property without a valid judicial warrant,” Zachery-
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Ross wrote. “Additionally, we are working closely with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to monitor our campus borders and ensure that our school grounds remain a protected space where scholars can learn without the threat of enforcement.” Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer said in a statement to MLive that the arrests took place at a bus stop during student dropoff times. The number of parents detained was not public at the time of publication, and Dyer said the number is hard to confirm as ICE does not inform local law enforcement. Zachery-Ross also expressed empathy and support for community members impacted by the detention. “We will not let this incident diminish our commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive home for every scholar,” the letter read. “We are here for you. We will continue to advocate for your
INDEX Vol. CXXXVII No. 4 ©2026 The Michigan Daily
safety, your dignity, and your right to an education free from fear.” The letter comes after a Jan. 30, 2025 statement from ZacheryRoss that declared YCS will not voluntarily work with ICE after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reversed its Biden-era policy of prohibiting immigration arrests in schools. “Regardless of this policy change, Ypsilanti Community Schools will maintain its current policies and procedures to actively protect our scholars, staff, and their families,” Zachery-Ross wrote. “ICE agents will not be allowed access to YCS facilities without a valid court order or search warrants.” YCS houses five elementary schools, including Ypsilanti International Elementary School and Ypsilanti Puentes Multilingual School. YIES is a K-5 International Baccalaureate school and YPMS is a K-4 dual-language Spanish immersion school.
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