Minnesota ground too a halt on Tuesday as thousands of protesters-from teachers and faith leaders to striking workers-participated in a statewide demonstration against increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, even as temperatures plummeted to nearly 20 degrees below zero.
A Day of Disruption and Demand for Accountability
The “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom” protests aim to pressure ICE to leave the state and demand an investigation into the death of Renee Nicole Good.
- Over 200 businesses across Minnesota closed for the day, with organizers anticipating nearly 700 participating in an “economic blackout.”
- A mile-long march is planned in Minneapolis, starting at 2 p.m. CST and culminating in an indoor rally at the Target Centre.
- Protesters gathered at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday, chanting slogans and calling for justice for Good.
- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, stated that ICE’s actions are driven by “intimidation,” not immigration enforcement.
“We will walk in below zero degrees in one of the coldest days in Minnesota,” Emilia González Avalos with UNIDOS Minnesota, an organizing group, told CNN. “We’re asking people to march, boycott today, and get trained as legal observers.”
Key Context: The demonstrations are a response to a perceived surge in ICE activity and a demand for accountability following the death of Renee Nicole Good, whose case has become a focal point for activists.
Protesters descended upon the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday morning, voicing their opposition to ICE with chants and signs demanding justice for Good. At the ICE facility in Fort Snelling, St. Paul, protesters braved temperatures well below 20 degrees with the wind chill.
Activists are at the Minneapolis St Paul Airport as part of the general strike against ICE operations. pic.twitter.com/nE7VWVbiQM
– Clint Combs (@Combs0294) January 23,2026
Randi Weingarten,president of the American Federation of Teachers,who was present at the protests,argued that ICE’s tactics are not focused on immigration but on “intimidation.” “ICE is using more and more abusive tactics to try to provoke communities to erupt, so that the president can use more force and militarize american cities,” Weingarten said. “We embrace our neighbors, and we fight for our fundamental freedoms.”
The sentiment on the ground was stark. “Stop and kidnapping and murdering our people,” one protester told JT Cestkowski, a reporter for Status Coup News. “We’re falling under a fascist regime very quickly, this is how it started in 1930s Germany.” Another protester labeled ICE officers as “criminal thugs,” adding,”All these people that ICE and the Trump admin are f**king over,every single one of those people is a story,and they’ve had their story interrupted.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security dismissed the protests as “beyond insane,” questioning why labor leaders would “not want these public safety threats out of their communities?” The spokesperson continued, “these are the criminals these labor bosses are trying to protect.”
