“ICE Out”: Tens of Thousands March in Minnesota in General Strike Against Immigration Raids
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Tens of thousands marched in Minneapolis in sub-zero temperatures, demanding ICE leave Minnesota.
- ❖The Minnesota AFL-CIO and over a thousand unions endorsed the 'Ice Out' day of action.
- ❖Teachers shared stories of students facing ICE raids at home, prompting calls for statewide educator strikes.
- ❖Hmong community members expressed fear, noting ICE actions disregarded citizenship status and impacted children's school attendance.
- ❖Over 700 businesses across Minnesota closed for an 'economic blackout' or 'general strike' in solidarity.
- ❖Demonstrators protested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, targeting deportation flights and leading to over 100 arrests.
- ❖A rally at the Target Center criticized the retail giant for allowing ICE operations on its property and arresting employees without warrants.
- ❖Union leaders emphasized the critical role of unity across communities and unions in resisting authoritarian control and corporate enablement.
Insights
1Massive Community and Labor Mobilization Against ICE
Tens of thousands of people, including members of the Minnesota AFL-CIO and numerous unions, clergy, educators, and Hmong refugees, participated in a large-scale protest and 'economic blackout' across Minnesota. This was a direct response to 'Operation Metro Surge,' which deployed approximately 3,000 federal agents for immigration enforcement, causing widespread fear and disruption.
A crowd numbering in the tens of thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis (). The Minnesota AFL CIO, representing over a thousand unions, endorsed the march (). Over 700 businesses across the state closed their doors for an 'economic blackout' or 'general strike' ().
2Direct Impact on Students and Families
Educators reported students experiencing ICE raids at their homes during online classes, highlighting the immediate and personal threat posed by the operations. This led to calls for educators nationwide to join the 'shut it down' movement.
An English teacher recounted a student messaging during class, 'Ice is outside of my house right now. What do I do?' (). The teacher called on 'every educator in this state, in this country, to shut it down' ().
3Targeting Corporate Complicity and Economic Disruption
Protesters specifically targeted corporations perceived as enabling ICE, such as the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for deportation flights and Target for allowing ICE to operate on its property and arrest employees. The 'economic blackout' by over 700 businesses aimed to exert economic pressure.
Demonstrators gathered at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to protest deportation flights (). Activists criticized Target for permitting ICE to operate on their property and arrest employees without warrants (). Over 700 businesses closed their doors for an 'economic blackout' ().
4Union Leadership in Anti-Authoritarian Resistance
Labor leaders, including the CWA president, framed the protests as a stand against a 'wannabe dictator' and corporations funding campaigns to 'shred the constitution.' They emphasized that unions have historically played a critical role in preventing or reversing authoritarian control, advocating for unity across communities and organizations.
C.WA president Claude Cummings stated, 'We stand in defiance of a wannabe dictator' and 'unions have played an important role in stopping it' (). He urged focusing 'attention directly on the corporations that enable fascism' ().
Lessons
- Educators should consider collective action, including 'shutting it down,' to protect students and families affected by immigration enforcement, as advocated by the Minnesota Federation of Educators.
- Community members and activists should identify and pressure corporations perceived as collaborating with immigration enforcement agencies, potentially through boycotts or targeted protests.
- Businesses can demonstrate solidarity with affected communities by participating in 'economic blackouts' or providing safe, supportive spaces during protests, as exemplified by Insight Brewing.
Notable Moments
A student messages their teacher during an online class, stating, 'Ice is outside of my house right now. What do I do?'
This incident vividly illustrates the immediate and personal fear experienced by students and families due to ICE operations, directly impacting their safety and education.
Insight Brewing in Minneapolis closed for business but opened its doors as a temporary 'third space' for protestors, offering snacks, hand warmers, and sign-making supplies.
This demonstrates a concrete example of a local business actively supporting community protests, providing practical aid and solidarity without engaging in normal commercial operations.
Demonstrators at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport protested deportation flights, leading to over 100 arrests of faith leaders and activists.
This highlights direct action targeting infrastructure used for deportations and the willingness of participants, including clergy, to risk arrest to disrupt these operations.
A rally held at the Target Center, a venue named after the Minnesota-based retail giant, included chants of 'Whose stadium? Our stadium,' criticizing Target for its alleged cooperation with ICE.
This moment uses the venue itself as a symbol of corporate power and potential complicity, turning a public space into a platform for direct criticism of a major local corporation.
Quotes
"I am calling on every educator in this state, in this country, to shut it down with Minneapolis, with St. Paul. You need to shut it all down with us because if we do not shut it down right now, your city is next."
"My parents, they're citizen, but that we all live in fear. I'm a citizen and I still live in fear every single day. Um and then now my kids are fear of, you know, going to school because they have heard of stories of kids getting detained."
"We are a space for our community and our community is hurting right now and the best way that we can help out is just uh direct to family donations. We've got a bunch of volunteers that are absolutely stellar. Um, outside of that, we're just making some signs. We're providing snacks, hand warmers, you know, just being a a temporary third space uh while we're not open for official business."
"We stand in defiance of a wannabe dictator and we will rise against the corporations and Trump's billionaire buddies quietly funded his campaign to shred the constitution. ...Our unity across communities, organizations, and unions is our power and whatever we do, we must do it together."
"I want to lift up the names of two neighbors. Victor Manuel Diaz, abducted from his workplace in Minnesota on January 6th, who died in ICE custody in Texas on January 14th. ... Renee Mlin. good queer poet, wife, parent murdered in South Minneapolis by ICE on January 7th while observing an abduction in her neighborhood."
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