Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis while students across the United States staged walkouts to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents following the fatal shootings of two US citizens earlier this month.
The demonstrations, held amid sub-freezing temperatures, drew families, elderly residents, and young activists to downtown Minneapolis. Local teachers and school staff also participated, marching in neighborhoods near the sites where Alex Pretti and Renee Good were killed by federal immigration agents.
Katia Kagan, a protester wearing a “No ICE” sweatshirt, said she was motivated by her family’s history. “I’m out here because I’m going to fight for the American dream that my parents came here for,” she said. Kim, a 65-year-old meditation coach, described the federal operation as “a full on fascist attack of our federal government on citizens.”
The protests coincided with a national day of action, with walkouts and rallies planned in cities from New York to Los Angeles under the slogan, “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.” Aurora, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona, saw public school closures due to anticipated absences, while high school and university students in Chicago, Long Beach, and Brooklyn marched with signs calling for an end to ICE operations.
The protests follow President Donald Trump’s deployment of 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area under Operation Metro Surge, a force five times the size of the local police department. Agents have patrolled streets in tactical gear, and an internal ICE memo reported by The New York Times indicates that officers were instructed this week to expand their authority to make arrests without warrants.
Trump expressed support for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, praising her handling of border security on social media despite calls from critics for her resignation. Meanwhile, the Minneapolis FBI field office has been involved in both the federal surge and investigations into the shootings, leading to the reassignment of acting head Jarrad Smith to FBI headquarters in Washington.
The federal response has extended to legal actions against protesters, including the arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon at a church protest in St. Paul. Lemon pleaded not guilty and condemned the charges as an attack on press freedom, saying, “I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”
At the state level, Democratic Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota called for a drawdown of federal forces, describing the operation as a “campaign of brutality.” Trump has offered mixed statements, initially indicating a desire to “de-escalate a bit” while later asserting, “Not at all,” when asked about scaling back the operation.
The backlash has also threatened a partial US government shutdown, as Democrats in Congress opposed funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. Public approval of Trump’s immigration policies has reportedly dropped to the lowest levels of his second term, fueled by viral footage showing aggressive tactics during raids in Minneapolis.
As protests continue across the country, pressure is mounting on federal authorities to address both the immediate deployment of officers and broader concerns about immigration enforcement tactics.
