Minnesota holds economic blackout to protest ICE raids.

2 days ago7 min read

The heartland is rising. In a dramatic act of civil resistance, a powerful coalition of Minnesota’s labor unions, faith organizations, and local businesses is calling for a statewide economic blackout this Friday, January 23.Dubbed the “Day of Truth and Freedom,” the action urges residents to halt their daily lives—to not go to work, school, or shop—in a collective protest against what organizers describe as a federal occupation. This follows the Trump administration’s aggressive deployment of 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the Minneapolis area earlier this month, an operation Homeland Security touted as its largest ever.The crackdown turned deadly on January 7 when an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, sparking immediate outrage from Mayor Jacob Frey and others demanding ICE leave the state. Since then, reports of door-to-door raids, agents appearing at schools, and the forcible removal of a barely clothed man from his home into freezing temperatures have galvanized a community under siege.“Working people, our schools and our communities are under attack,” declared Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, in a statement supporting the strike, highlighting how union members are being detained and families torn apart. The movement’s demands are clear: ICE must leave Minnesota; the officer who killed Good must be held accountable; Congress must deny ICE additional funding; and local and national companies must sever ties with the agency.While a growing list of small businesses—restaurants, bars, bookstores—pledge to close in solidarity, a stark silence emanates from Minnesota’s corporate giants like Target, General Mills, and UnitedHealth Group, none of whom responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is pushing back, asking a federal judge to reject a state lawsuit against the raids and subpoenaing Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Frey for allegedly obstructing ICE operations. This Friday, Minnesota will test the power of its collective pause, a profound statement that in the face of oppression, silence is not an option.

#ICE protests

#Minnesota

#economic blackout

#immigration enforcement

#labor unions

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