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No Work, No School, No Spending”: Minnesota General Strike Shakes the Nation Over ICE Operations

Thousands of workers, students and community members across Minnesota walked off the job, stayed out of schools, and shut down businesses on January 23, 2026, in a dramatic general strike and protests against expanded federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions — including raids, detentions, and fatal shootings.  

Organized as the “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth & Freedom,” the strike brought tens of thousands into the streets in sub-zero winter temperatures and closed hundreds of small businesses, museums and cultural institutions in solidarity with striking workers and protestors.  

Origins: ICE Operations and Fatal Shootings

The unrest stems from an aggressive federal enforcement escalation dubbed Operation Metro Surge, launched by the Trump administration with thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents deployed across Minnesota. Critics — including local officials, legal advocates and labor leaders — say the operation has led to intimidation, wrongful detentions, and at least two fatal shootings by federal agents, most notably of Renée Nicole Good in early January and, later, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.  

Families, community groups, and civil rights advocates argue that these deaths — especially where video evidence contradicts official narratives — exemplify excessive force and racial profiling in areas with large immigrant populations, fueling public outrage and demand for accountability.  

The General Strike and Economic Blackout

Rather than limiting dissent to street marches, labor unions and community organizers called for a general strike, urging residents to refuse to work, attend school, shop or spend money. This strategy mirrors historical labor actions intended to exert economic pressure and highlight the essential contributions of immigrant and working-class communities.  

Union federations — including the Minnesota AFL-CIO, communications and service unions, and other labor groups — helped coordinate the work stoppage alongside faith leaders and immigrant rights organizations. Workers from a range of sectors, including airport staff, healthcare workers, educators and museum employees, played visible roles.  

At Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, hundreds of clergy members knelt in prayer and were arrested during a sit-in, underscoring the moral and spiritual dimensions many participants attached to the protest.  

Demands and Messages from the Streets

Protesters called for several major objectives:

• Immediate withdrawal of ICE operations from Minnesota and other unwilling jurisdictions.  

• Independent investigations and legal accountability for agents involved in fatal incidents.  

• Defunding ICE and reallocation of federal dollars toward humanitarian immigration processing, community services, and civil liberties protections.  

Signs reading “ICE Out Now,” “Justice for Renée,” and “Immigrants Make America Great” echoed through downtown rallies, with participants stressing solidarity across racial and economic lines.  

National and Corporate Reactions

The strike in Minnesota inspired solidarity demonstrations and pressure campaigns in other U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Detroit, where activists rallied outside federal buildings and ICE field offices.  

In Minnesota, workers also pressed major corporations — such as Target, Delta, Hilton and others with significant local footprints — to denounce or withdraw cooperation with ICE operations, amplifying demands that economic and institutional power distance itself from controversial federal enforcement.  

Major labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), publicly condemned the recent federal actions, calling the operation “senseless” and urging ICE to leave the state to prevent further harm.  

Federal Response and Political Backdrop

The Trump administration defended the uptick in immigration enforcement as necessary to uphold U.S. law and public safety, rejecting accusations that agents had mistreated communities or overstepped constitutional boundaries. Federal officials framed the protests as disruptive and urged peaceful engagement.  

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minnesota recently ordered curbs on ICE tactics toward peaceful observers and protesters, reflecting judicial concerns about overreach even as overall enforcement continues.  

Significance and Looking Ahead

The Minnesota general strike marks one of the largest labor-linked protest actions in recent U.S. history aimed directly at federal immigration policy. Organizers and participants argue that, beyond the immediate grievances, the movement raises deep questions about federal authority, civil liberties and the role of labor in defending communities against what many view as indiscriminate enforcement.  

Whether this action leads to lasting policy changes or broader national mobilization remains uncertain. However, the fusion of workplace strikes, community marches and political pressure campaigns underscores a new phase of anti-ICE resistance that could shape debates on immigration enforcement, labor rights and civil liberties through 2026 and beyond.  

Attached is a news article regarding work strikes in America due to ICE operations 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dk67g4q91o.amp

Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley