Alex Orenczuk
•8/27/2026
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Luminary Hotel in downtown Fort Myers on Wednesday night amid reports of increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across Lee County.
The protest lasted about three hours, with demonstrators chanting, holding signs and waving flags outside the hotel.
Organizers said they chose the Luminary after receiving information that ICE agents were staying at the hotel. WINK News has not independently confirmed that claim, and hotel staff would not comment on who may be staying at the property.
The Luminary Hotel & Co. said it respects people’s right to peacefully express themselves and is monitoring the situation. The hotel said safety remains its top priority and that it is prepared to take additional steps if necessary.
The demonstration came as WINK News received multiple tips, photos and reports of ICE activity across Lee County in recent days.
On Wednesday, WINK News captured video of a man being detained near Summerlin Road and Park Royal Drive. When reporter Chorus Nylander asked an agent at the scene whether he was with ICE or the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the agent responded, “ICE.”
Protest organizer James Abraham said the recent activity prompted Wednesday night’s demonstration.
“Well, we are against what ICE has been doing, just basically laying siege to whole communities,” Abraham said. “And these communities consist of our neighbors. I'd want them to be out there for me, so I'm out there for them.”
Other protesters said they were concerned about the impact immigration enforcement is having on families and communities.
“The continued behavior that we allow to happen in this country right now is just bizarre,” protester Gordie Daig said. “The activities that go on unchecked, the way we've lost the checks and balances of our democracy, it's just hurtful to watch as an American. It's embarrassing.”
WINK News has also received reports of possible immigration enforcement activity along I-75 and near Six Mile Cypress Parkway, among other locations. Those reports have not all been independently confirmed.
WINK News reached out to ICE for more information about the agency’s activity in Lee County and the scope of any ongoing operations.
