Actor John Leguizamo told supporters of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that they should unfollow him online.
He also told them to not attend his shows or watch his movies as outrage grows over the recent ICE-related shootings in Minneapolis. Leguizamo, 65, posted a video on his Instagram page on Wednesday. In the clip, he made it clear that he doesn’t want fans following him who support ICE or who engage in any of his work. Moreover, the actor and comedian stared into the camera bearing a serious expression, saying, “If you follow ICE, unfollow me.”
The actor spoke more on the immigration crisis, saying, “Don’t come to my shows and don’t watch my movies.” Leguizamo also captioned the video with the words, “Abolish ice!” The Instagram post quickly attracted around 630,000 likes in 10 hours.
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John Leguizamo wasn’t the only celebrity to speak up, as the Everybody Loves Raymond actor, Brad Garrett was quick to comment on the post, writing, “Me too!!!!”
Moreover the actor is the latest celebrity to speak up after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Pretti, 37, a VA ICU nurse, was shot and killed by ICE agents on January 24. He reportedly tried to intervene on behalf of a woman who was shoved down by agents.
Initially, Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol officials claimed he had “brandished” a firearm. However, it could clearly be seen from bystander video footage that he was holding a phone, not a gun. It was revealed that an agent removed Pretti’s legally owned gun just moments before other agents shot him 10 times.
Leguizamo is known to have long been outspoken on liberal causes and a regular critic of President Donald Trump. Right now, the actor’s Instagram account is filled with anti-Trump and anti-ICE posts and reposts.
Moreover, back in August Leguizamo criticized actor Dean Cain after he shared a video claiming he had joined ICE. In an interview with TMZ Live, Cain defended the agency, saying that Pretti wasn’t being a peaceful protester when he was shot and killed.
Meanwhile, Leguizamo’s video was shared by another celebrity, Natalie Portman, became emotional while speaking of current ICE operations. Portman, 44, attended the premiere of her film, The Gallerist at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Saturday, where she wore an ICE OUT pin. The shooting happened on the same day as the premiere.
Speaking to the media, Portman said, “It’s such a horrible day, it’s been a horrible week. What is happening in our country is just on the scene.” She added, “What Trump and Kristi Noem and ICE are doing to our citizens and undocumented people is outrageous and needs to end.”
In a press conference, Kristi Noem claimed that Pretti had “reacted violently” and questioned why the ICU nurse was carrying a legally owned weapon. Noem claimed he had “impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple, dozens of rounds of ammunition.” However, video footage taken by onlookers proved her wrong.
Following the shooting, Pretti’s family released a statement describing his shooting by “murdering and cowardly thugs.” They described him as a “kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends, adding that his “last thought and act was to protect a woman.” They urged readers, “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”
