Thousands of demonstrators braved extreme winter conditions to march through the streets of Minneapolis, United States, on Friday, demanding an end to President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement in the city.
The protest began amid dangerously low temperatures, with the mercury dropping to minus 29 degrees Celsius (minus 20 Fahrenheit). Organisers claimed that up to 50,000 people took part in the demonstrations, although that figure could not be independently verified. As the day progressed, many participants moved indoors to the Target Center, a sports arena capable of holding around 20,000 people.
Businesses Close in ‘ICE OUT!’ Protest
Organisers described the demonstrations as part of an “ICE OUT!” action that they framed as a general strike. According to protest leaders, dozens of businesses across Minnesota shut their doors for the day in solidarity with the movement.
Workers left their jobs to join marches and rallies that followed weeks of heightened tensions between protesters and agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Those confrontations have at times turned violent, as opposition has grown against the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement push.
“It is 23 degrees below zero, but the stores are closed and demonstrators are still out in the streets,” said Al Jazeera correspondent John Hendren, reporting from Minneapolis. He noted that the protest took place on the coldest day recorded in the city since 2019, underscoring the depth of public anger toward ICE operations.
Federal Response and Political Tensions
Just one day before the protest, US Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis to voice support for ICE officers. During his visit, Vance urged local leaders and activists to de-escalate tensions, stating that ICE was carrying out what he described as an essential mission to detain immigration violators.
Despite those calls, demonstrations continued to intensify. One of the most striking protests occurred at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, where dozens of clergy members knelt on a roadway, sang hymns, and prayed while calling on Trump to withdraw 3,000 federal law enforcement officers deployed to the region.
Local police arrested the clergy members after they refused orders to clear the road. Officers zip-tied the protesters and loaded them onto buses without resistance. Organisers later said approximately 100 clergy members were taken into custody.
Calls for Accountability After Fatal Shooting
Organisers said the protests were also driven by demands for accountability in the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a US citizen who was killed earlier this month by an ICE agent while sitting in her car as she monitored enforcement activity. Protest leaders called for a full investigation and legal consequences for the agent involved.
Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped organise the demonstrations, said the clergy arrests were meant to highlight broader concerns about ICE activity in workplaces. The group claimed that airport and airline workers had been detained by ICE while on the job and urged airline companies to support calls for an immediate end to the federal surge in the state.
‘Largest Strike’ Against Federal Surge
Across Minnesota, organisers reported that bars, restaurants, and shops closed in what they described as the largest coordinated show of opposition yet to federal immigration enforcement. Speakers at rallies included Indigenous leaders, religious figures, labour representatives, and community organisers.
“Make no mistake, we are facing what amounts to a federal occupation through the arm of ICE,” said Rachel Dionne-Thunder, vice president of the Indigenous Protector Movement. She and other speakers demanded that ICE withdraw from the area and that authorities launch an independent investigation into Good’s death.
Broader Political Context
Trump, a Republican, won the 2024 election largely on promises to aggressively enforce immigration laws, arguing that his predecessor, Joe Biden, had failed to secure the border. However, critics say Trump’s heavy deployment of federal agents in Democratic-led cities has deepened political divisions nationwide.
Public backlash has intensified following several high-profile incidents, including the shooting of Good, the detention of a US citizen taken from his home in his underwear, and the arrest of schoolchildren, including a five-year-old boy.
Despite Minnesota being home to numerous Fortune 500 companies, major corporations based in the state have largely remained silent on the immigration raids and the growing protests surrounding them.