LANTANA, Fla. — Protesters gathered Saturday outside the Florida Highway Patrol station in Lantana, voicing concerns over recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and expressing solidarity with demonstrators in Minneapolis following a deadly shooting there.
The demonstration took place near the intersection of Lantana Road and 13th Street, where protesters banged pots and pans and held signs as traffic passed.
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“I’m here to stand up for the people who are being kidnapped,” said Rick White, who attended the protest.
The demonstration comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis, where two protesters were fatally shot. The most recent victim was a 37-year-old man identified by his parents as ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino addressed the shooting, saying, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Bovino later said the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
For Lacy Larson, a member of Palm Beach Indivisibles, the events in Minnesota are deeply personal.
“I was born and raised in Minnesota,” Larson said. “When I see people in the communities being murdered, being shot to death, being murdered, being abducted, it’s heartbreaking. I cry.”
Several protesters also criticized local ICE operations, saying they fear the impact on immigrant families.
“It’s important because they’re arresting our families, our friends, our neighbors,” White said.
Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Dr. Christopher McVoy said he has seen changes in his community.
“The fear is widespread in our community,” McVoy said. “[People] don’t go out without their papers because they’re afraid they’re going to get racially profiled.”
Some demonstrators said they worry violence seen in Minneapolis could happen in South Florida.
“It’s just an abuse of power. It just keeps getting worse and worse and something serious is going to happen in Florida, just like it happened up in Minnesota,” White said.
Despite those concerns, protesters said they plan to continue speaking out.
“It’s terrifying, but silence is violence,” Larson said.
Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
