The Japan Times - Celebrities call for action against US immigration raids

From red-carpet premieres to social media, the usually politics-averse celebrity crowd have been swept up in the fray after the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, on Saturday.

Below are some of the appeals for action by celebrities expressing their discontent with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown:

- Pedro Pascal -

The Chilean-American actor shared a series of posts on his Instagram, calling for a national strike to protest the killings and demanding more transparency from the federal government on the actions of ICE agents.

"Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and authoritarian regime," Pascal wrote, as he paid tribute to Pretti and another US citizen killed in Minneapolis this month, 37-year-old Renee Good.

"The American people deserve to know what happened," he added.

- Jamie Lee Curtis -

Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis also joined the call for national protests against ICE raids.

"THESE WERE AMERICANS! SHOT BY OUR GOVERNMENT!" she wrote in a post on Sunday accompanied by drawings of Pretti's and Good's faces.

On Tuesday, she shared a photo of Minneapolis and captioned it: "I BELIEVE IN US!"

- Martha Stewart -

The businesswoman behind a domestic goods empire took to her Instagram to speak out after she was encouraged by her 14-year-old granddaughter, she said.

"I am disheartened and sad each and every day... that we are told immigrants, which most of us are or descended from are unwelcome," wrote the 84-year-old Stewart.

She also expressed discontent that "we cannot show our frustration in peaceful demonstrations and that we can be attacked and even killed by Federal troops."

- Katy Perry -

The "Firework" singer posted on her Instagram story to urge her American followers to call their elected representatives in the US Senate, urging them to pressure ICE through budget oversight.

"Turn anger into action," the 41-year-old singer wrote.

- Kerry Washington -

The "Scandal" actress posted a video to her 7.6 million Instagram followers explaining step-by-step how to call their elected representatives and demand funding be blocked for ICE.

"You are not powerless over what's happening in Minnesota," she said. There is something you can do about it right now."

Washington then demonstrated calling her representative's office in California on camera.

- Billie Eilish -

The 24-year-old singer-songwriter called out other celebrities to speak on Pretti's death.

"Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up?" the nine-time Grammy winner wrote in an Instagram story post.

Eilish has since shared posts denouncing tactics used by ICE during their immigration raids.

T.Ikeda--JT