Dozens gathered at Peace Arch for a biweekly protest against ICE, welcoming cross-border support and responding to the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
BLAINE, Wash. — As hundreds of northbound American vehicles lined both the U.S. and Canadian spans of Peace Arch State Park and Peace Arch Provincial Park Saturday, dozens of protesters welcomed them into British Columbia. Carrying anti-ICE messages and boxes of Timbits, demonstrators frustrated by events south of the 49th parallel drew new faces to the biweekly gathering.
Drivers honked as passengers waved and shouted encouragement. Some took photos of signs reading, “Welcome to Canada, where ICE is refreshing, not arresting.”
PNW Daily has watched Canadian organizer Haidee Landry grow the peaceful gatherings from a solo protest into a small but committed international movement. With handmade signs and a Canadian flag mounted on a hockey stick, Landry delivers a consistent message of solidarity.
The rallies began in March 2025, shortly after former President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canadian goods and before his similar push at Greenland, including repeated suggestions that Canada should become the “51st state.”
This week’s turnout was larger for the border gathering, but there were fewer protests across the county and state as many focused on Saturday night’s Seahawks game in the NFC Divisional Round.
Saturday evening also saw about 100 demonstrators reported at Maritime Heritage Park, according to local Reddit and Facebook community groups. That gathering was far smaller than last week’s protests in downtown Bellingham, where thousands marched in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Landry and her Peace, Love, and a Handshake community meet at the Peace Arch every other Saturday and maintain a presence online through their Facebook group.
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