Thousands of people took to the streets this Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to denounce abuses committed in recent weeks during operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration policies. These abuses include the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good on January 7 by a federal agent.
A large march proceeded through downtown Minneapolis, from the US Bank Stadium to the Target Center, a sports arena where a rally was held to conclude the demonstration. Speeches were given condemning ICE’s actions, according to CBS News.
This mobilization was part of a larger day of protest in which organizers called for a strike—including work, school, and consumer boycotts—”to stand united against the federal government’s actions against the state,” as part of the “ICE Out for Good” protest movement, which includes more than one hundred organizations such as unions, civil rights groups, and religious entities.
The organizers demanded that ICE leave the state of Minnesota, that legal proceedings be initiated against the agent who killed Renee Good, that ICE funding be eliminated in the next federal budget, and that an investigation be launched “into constitutional and human rights violations against Americans and our neighbors.” They also urged companies to cease their economic relations with the federal agency.
Police arrested 100 people who had gathered at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after the protest exceeded the limits agreed upon with airport authorities.
“When the permitted activity exceeded the agreed-upon terms, MSP Airport Police began taking necessary measures, including arrests, to protect public safety, airport security, and access to Terminal 1,” read a statement from the Metropolitan Airports Commission—which manages the facilities—reported by CNN. The protesters have had to contend with a cold wave sweeping across the United States, bringing temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. “It’s -10 degrees and thousands still showed up in force in Minneapolis. That’s who we are,” said the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, who expressed his support for the demonstrations.
The government led by Donald Trump launched the immigration operation ‘Metro Surge’ last December in Minnesota, which the White House occupant justified by claiming an increase in crime. “Do the people of Minnesota really want to live in a community where there are thousands of convicted murderers, drug traffickers and addicts, rapists, violent prisoners who have been released and escaped?” he declared.
The actions of the agents, such as the death of Good and the arrest of a five-year-old child, have sparked controversy among the state’s population, who have responded with demonstrations and protests against the ICE operation.
