MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of Minnesotans walked off jobs, stayed home from school and filled downtown streets Friday in a coordinated “no work, no school, no shopping” action demanding that federal immigration agents scale back operations and halt deportation flights. The Minnesota ICE protests have intensified after the Jan. 7 killing of 37-year-old mother of three Renée Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and a series of detentions that organizers say have spread fear through immigrant communities, Jan. 23, 2026.
Minnesota ICE protests fuel a statewide “economic blackout”
Organizers said the Minnesota ICE protests were designed to hit the state’s daily rhythm — not just with marches, but with an economic pause meant to show what communities lose when workers disappear. Police did not provide a crowd estimate, but organizers claimed turnout reached into the tens of thousands, while acknowledging counts are difficult in extreme weather and dispersed actions; Reuters reported that organizers put the figure as high as 50,000, which it could not verify.
Businesses across Minnesota closed or curtailed hours, and many residents participated by avoiding stores and restaurants. The Minnesota ICE protests also culminated in a rally at the Target Center after marchers moved through downtown in subzero conditions, according to The Associated Press.
Clergy arrests bring the airport into the spotlight
The most visible confrontation came at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where faith leaders staged a sit-in aimed at pressuring airlines to stop cooperating with deportation flights. About 100 clergy members were arrested and issued misdemeanor citations, officials said, after organizers exceeded the terms of a demonstration permit.
The Rev. Mariah Furness Tollgaard of Hamline Church in St. Paul said police ordered the group to leave, but some decided to stay. “We cannot abide living under this federal occupation of Minnesota,” Tollgaard said.
In a separate account of the airport action, CBS Minnesota reported that protesters urged Delta and Signature Aviation to back calls for ICE to end its Minnesota surge and that organizers estimated about 2,000 deportations have moved through the airport. The outlet also reported union members said 12 airport workers have been arrested by ICE.
Trump’s surge, legal pushback and what comes next
The Trump administration has defended the enforcement buildup, while protesters and some local officials describe it as an unprecedented federal escalation. Protest leaders say the Minnesota ICE protests are aimed squarely at what they call a 3,000-officer surge of federal law enforcement in the Twin Cities area, a figure also cited by Reuters.
State and local leaders have increasingly shifted parts of the fight into court. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a federal lawsuit seeking to end what they describe as “Operation Metro Surge,” arguing the deployment is unconstitutional and has strained public safety resources; the claims are outlined in a City of Minneapolis news release.
How today’s Minnesota ICE protests echo earlier economic boycotts
While the scale and flashpoints are new, Minnesota has seen earlier work stoppages tied to immigration politics. In 2017, a “Day Without Immigrants” action shuttered restaurants and drew rallies in the Twin Cities, according to MPR News reporting from that year. A similar boycott resurfaced in early 2025, when some Minnesota businesses closed in solidarity as “A Day Without Immigrants” was promoted nationwide, FOX 9 reported.
Organizers say the Minnesota ICE protests will continue in the coming days with additional rallies, legal support clinics and monitoring of federal activity, while officials face mounting questions about how long the current enforcement posture can be sustained without further disruption.
