Thousands of protesters gathered in Minneapolis in sub-zero temperatures to protest federal immigration enforcement and the expansion of ICE operations. Businesses across Minnesota participated in a statewide strike, closing their doors in solidarity. The protest and strike, organized by labor unions, faith leaders, and community activists, demand an end to ICE operations, the defunding of ICE, and accountability for alleged misconduct by ICE officers. Concerns over aggressive tactics and racial profiling by ICE agents are also highlighted.
Thousands gather downtown in sub-zero temperatures as hundreds of Minnesota businesses close in a statewide" ICE Out" protest and strike against federal immigration enforcement and the expanded ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota , Jan.
23, 2026.Large crowds flooded downtown Minneapolis Friday afternoon, despite subzero temperatures, as part of a march and rally to protest the largest and most aggressive immigration enforcement operation brought by the federal government so far. In coordination with the protests, businesses across Minnesota – restaurants, museums, book stores, coffee shops – also shut their doors for the day. Labor unions, faith leaders and community activists organized the economic blackout, called"ICE Out of Minnesota: A Day of Truth and Freedom." They are encouraging people in the state to stay home from work and school, and to refrain from shopping or dining out.At the downtown rally, protesters – heavily bundled against the extreme cold – chanted"ICE out" and held signs that read"The North is stronger" and"Immigrants make America great."Protesters hold signs demanding justice for Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE agent, and calling to stop ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 23, 2026. "There are people who are scared to go outside. And people who aren't being targeted, I feel like there's an obligation for those people to stand up for those who are being targeted. So I'm just here to show my support for my neighbors," Guy Hammink, a St. Paul resident, told NPR at the protest.the airport. Around 100 clergy were arrested at that protest, organizers told NPR. Airport Police said those arrested were issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer, and were released.that immigration officers leave the state; that Congress gives no additional funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE; that companies cease business relations with ICE; and that Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who killed Renee Macklin Good more than two weeks ago, be held legally accountable. Beyond the actions today, thousands of people across the state have for weeks been coordinating a massive network of community resistance against the federal immigration enforcement campaign.Neighbors are delivering food to people too fearful to leave their homes; parents and community members are standing guard outside schools, daycares and immigrant-owned businesses, and hundreds of everyday people are joining neighborhood chats to track the movements of immigration officers. They often then show up in protest — honking, whistling, yelling and filming — when federal agents make arrests. "We know that ICE is coming to our town, so we need to get ready. We've learned so much from the people of Minneapolis, really. It's been amazing," Rev. Susanne Intriligator, a Unitarian Universalist, told NPR at the downtown protest. She traveled to Minnesota from Massachusetts to attend a training held by organizers and to attend the protest. Many people in the Twin Cities region and beyond have been living in a state of fear and anxiety, as immigration officers escalate aggressive tactics against Minnesotans. NPR reporters have"We are in total crisis here in Minnesota with this ICE surge. Thousands of agents are terrorizing our communities, not just Minneapolis, but across the state," says Martha Bardwell, the lead pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis, who is participating in the day's events."They are tearing apart families. They say that they're here to round up the worst of the worst, but we know with our own eyes that is absolutely not true."Officials with the school district there say federal agents used the child as"bait" to draw family members out of the home. DHS officialsthe boy and his father are now at a detention center in Texas, though they claim the father fled and"abandoned" his child during his apprehension. The family's lawyer and witnesses Some U.S. Citizens are also speaking out about being stopped or detained by immigration agents. Nasra Ahmed, a U.S. citizen and a Somali-American, was detained for two days, she told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, or PSL, were among the attendees at a rally in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 23, 2026.Thousands gather downtown for the protest and strike against federal immigration enforcement and the expanded ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 23, 2026. "They were just using a lot of force to arrest me, and I was screaming, I was crying, I was so scared, I've never been arrested in my life," Ahmed says. Ahmed said the federal officers arresting her made racist remarks during her arrest. Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis to show support for ICE on Thursday, and told reporters the government takes allegations of racial profiling seriously. But Ahmed is hardlywere racially profiled by federal agents, who demanded to see their IDs. One of the officers said the federal agents had their guns drawn.Thursday who were involved in a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul last Sunday, where one of the pastors is also a local ICE official. "If you go and storm a church, if you go to assault a federal law enforcement officer, we're going to try very hard, we're going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison," Vice President Vance said at a press conference Thursday.several hundred military troops on standby, in case President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, which would give the president sweeping powers to deploy the military here without the state's consent.Meg Anderson is an editor on NPR's Investigations team, where she shapes the team's groundbreaking work for radio, digital and social platforms. She served as a producer on the Peabody Award-winning series Lost Mothers, which investigated the high rate of maternal mortality in the United States. She also does her own original reporting for the team, including the series Heat and Health in American Cities, which won multiple awards, and the story of a COVID-19 outbreak in a Black community and the systemic factors at play. She also completed a fellowship as a local reporter for WAMU, the public radio station for Washington, D.C. Before joining the Investigations team, she worked on NPR's politics desk, education desk and on Morning Edition. Her roots are in the Midwest, where she graduated with a Master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.Jasmine Garsd is an Argentine-American journalist living in New York. She is currently NPR's Criminal Justice correspondent and the host of The Last Cup. She started her career as the co-host of Alt.Latino, an NPR show about Latin music. Throughout her reporting career she's focused extensively on women's issues and immigrant communities in America. She's currently writing a book of stories about women she's met throughout her travels.The plan to build massive data center in Imperial County — without environmental reviewKPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
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