About a dozen knitters got together in Downers Grove Sunday to create Melt the Ice hats – a red beanie-shaped cap topped with a braided tassel – as a quiet form of protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Melt the Ice knit-along also raised more than $500 for organizations supporting immigrant rights.

The event was hosted by the Downers Grove Township Democrats and was held at their office, 908 Curtis St., in Downers Grove.

Proceeds from the event benefitted the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Young Center, an organization founded in Chicago in 2004 in support of immigrant children’s rights.

Chicago-based knitting instructor Maggie Tinks led the group, knitting red hats and discussing how to have productive conversations with community members about ICE activity.

Tinks shared information about the Young Center with attendees during the event.

In late January, Tinks began posting videos to her 11,000 Instagram followers about the red hats and held a similar knit-along event in Chicago.

“I started to see the trend about the ‘melt-the-ice’ red hat, and that’s how I found Maggie,” said Jessica O’Malley, vice chairwoman of the Downers Grove Township Democrats.

O’Malley said she was drawn in by the red hat’s origin as a symbol of Nazi resistance in the 1940s, which led the Nazi’s to outlaw the hats.

“I think a lot of people just feel really helpless, and active activism and getting involved looks different for everyone,” she said.

The event was organized after two U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, drawing national attention to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Operations around the country.

Increased immigration raids included Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, which resulted in about 1600 arrests, according to reporting by The Marshall Project.

On Sunday, White House Border Czar Tom Homan said a small security force will remain in Minnesota in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately.

“I’ve just been at a loss at what’s happening,” O’Malley said. “I have a 10-year-old son who is aware and asks questions about it, and I just always want him to see that his mom is doing something to help and that we care about our community members.”

As a mother who works full-time, O’Malley said having events like the knit-along provides opportunities to be involved.

“I think a lot of people just feel really helpless, and activism and getting involved looks different for everyone,” she said. “I think trying to make things accessible and know that not one person is going to change the world, but collectively, together, lots of small actions can make a huge impact.”