Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Minneapolis on Friday despite brutal winter conditions, demanding an end to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city.
The protest was part of a broader “ICE OUT!” campaign that organisers described as a general strike aimed at forcing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to withdraw from Minnesota.
Tens of Thousands Turn Out Despite Subzero Temperatures
With temperatures dropping as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 29 Celsius), organisers claimed up to 50,000 people joined the demonstrations. That figure could not be independently verified, as Minneapolis police did not provide an official estimate.
Many protesters later gathered indoors at the Target Center, a downtown sports arena that was more than half full, according to reporters at the scene.
Organisers said dozens of businesses across the state closed for the day as workers joined marches and rallies, marking what they called the largest show of resistance yet to the federal immigration surge.
Arrests at Airport Protest
Tensions escalated during a protest at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, where dozens of clergy members were arrested after kneeling on a roadway, singing hymns and praying.
Police detained and zip-tied protesters who refused orders to clear the area. Reuters reporters witnessed dozens of arrests, while organisers said around 100 clergy members were taken into custody.
The action called on Trump to withdraw 3,000 federal law enforcement officers recently deployed to the region.
Demands Over Fatal Shooting
Protest organisers also demanded accountability for an ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a US citizen who was killed in her car earlier this month while monitoring ICE activity.
Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group involved in organising the protests, said clergy were also highlighting the detention of airport and airline workers by ICE. The group urged airlines to support calls for an immediate end to immigration enforcement operations in the state.
Federal Response and Political Backdrop
The protests followed weeks of unrest in Minneapolis linked to ICE operations. A day earlier, Vice President JD Vance visited the city in support of ICE officers and urged local leaders to ease tensions, saying the agency was carrying out its lawful mission.
Trump, who won the 2024 election on a promise to aggressively enforce immigration laws, has defended the expanded use of federal agents, arguing previous administrations were too lenient on border security.
Critics, however, say the crackdown has deepened political divisions, particularly after reports of the detention of US citizens, schoolchildren, and the fatal shooting of Good.
Businesses Close as Community Leaders Speak Out
Across Minnesota, bars, restaurants and shops shut their doors for the day in solidarity with protesters.
Miguel Hernandez, a local business owner who closed his bakery to attend the march, said the extreme weather underscored the seriousness of the movement.
“This is about standing with our community,” he said. “People wouldn’t be out here in these conditions unless something was truly wrong.”
Inside the Target Center, speakers from Indigenous, religious, labour and community groups condemned ICE’s presence and called for a full investigation into recent enforcement actions.
“We are seeing an agency with no guardrails,” said activist and comedian Lizz Winstead. “The silence from corporations across the state is deafening.”
Several major Minnesota-based companies declined to comment on the protests or ICE activity at their facilities, according to Reuters.