A day of protest, with Minnesotans urged to stay away from work, school and stores, was kicked off by community leaders, faith leaders and labor unions today, in protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in the state.
The “Day of Truth & Freedom” protest comes in the wake of the killing of Renee Good, the unarmed woman killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Their demands include that ICE leave Minnesota, that the ICE officer who killed Good be legally held accountable, an end to additional federal funding for ICE, and for the agency to be investigated for human rights and constitutional violations.
Hundreds of local businesses in Minnesota have announced closures in solidarity. Thousands of people are expected to call out from work to join the action, while others will participate by not shopping today.
The Minneapolis city council endorsed the day of action and the general strike. The state’s cultural institutions, including the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota Children’s Museum, will be closed as well.
The day of action culminates with a march in downtown Minneapolis at 2pm local time. The march will end with a rally inside the Target Center, an arena downtown.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO, the state’s federation of more than 1,000 affiliated local unions, has endorsed the day of action, along with dozens of local labor unions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed to have made 3,000 arrests in Minnesota over the past six weeks. The US army put 1,500 soldiers on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, as 3,000 immigration officers have been dispatched to the state by the Trump administration.
A DHS Spokesperson said in an email in response to the economic blackout, “This is beyond insane,” adding, “Why would these labor bosses not want these public safety threats out of their communities?”
The Spokesperson added, “These are the criminals these labor bosses are trying to protect,” the citing 23 uncaptioned photos of claimed undocumented immigrants with criminal records who have been arrested by ICE.
Nationwide, immigrants with no criminal record continue to make up the largest group in US immigration detention, which is at record levels.
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