Thousands of Minnesotans will participate in a statewide economic strike today, organizers announced earlier this week, in an effort to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across the state.
The coordinated action, branded "A Day of Truth and Freedom," urges residents to skip work, school, and shopping as federal immigration enforcement intensifies following recent controversial incidents, according to The Oakland Press.
Minnesota AFL-CIO, representing over 1,000 affiliated local unions, voted Tuesday to endorse the strike. Officials condemned what they described as unconstitutional detentions affecting numerous innocent residents, including union members.
"They are indiscriminately targeting Minnesotans of color, regardless of citizenship or immigration status," Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham stated. "Many people are fearful of daily activities like going to work, shopping for groceries and sending their children to school."
Burnham emphasized that union members would demand federal agents leave the state, oppose additional funding for enforcement operations, and seek legal accountability for the killing of Renee Good. The 37-year-old Minneapolis woman died after being shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7 during an incident captured on multiple phones.
Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation representing 80,000 union members, said workers face impossible decisions. "They've had to make gut-wrenching, life-altering choices about whether or not they're going to go to work, so they can put food on the table, or whether they're going to stay home, and stay safe, and stay alive," she explained at a Monday press conference.
Dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities announced closures for Friday. Cooperative grocery stores including Mississippi Market and Wedge Community Co-ops will shutter their locations, while numerous St. Paul restaurants like Mucci's Italian, Hyacinth, and J. Selby's plan to close in solidarity.
Holly Weinkauf, owner of Red Balloon Bookshop, called her decision to close "complex" but necessary. Her employees unanimously supported the action, and she committed to paying them despite the closure. "Everyone felt that this was the best way to show up for our community," Weinkauf said.
Organizers scheduled a 2 p.m. rally and march through downtown Minneapolis beginning at The Commons. Kate Havelin, spokeswoman for Indivisible Twin Cities, urged major corporations including Target, Home Depot, and Delta Airlines to publicly demand federal agents leave Minnesota.
"We need to suspend the normal order of business and demand the immediate end of ICE actions in our state," said Lisa Erbes, co-leader of Indivisible Twin Cities.
While sympathetic concerns exist regarding enforcement methods, effective immigration control remains essential to national sovereignty, requiring deportation processes balanced with constitutional protections and community safety considerations. Disrupting these activities is not in the public interest and should be met with the full force of the law.
Minnesota should ultimately be put on notice for facilitating such behavior.
