Despite freezing temperatures as low as minus 20°F, thousands of Minnesotans rallied on Friday to protest the federal immigration crackdown, calling for ICE to leave the state and for justice in the shooting of Renee Good.
Organizers said up to 50,000 people participated in marches and rallies, although Reuters could not independently verify the figure. Many demonstrators later gathered indoors at the Target Center, where over half of the 20,000-capacity arena was filled.
Scores of Minnesota businesses closed for the day, while workers joined street protests and marches, showing solidarity with communities affected by ICE’s surge.
One of the most dramatic protests took place at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, where dozens of clergy members knelt on the road, singing hymns and praying for ICE to end its operations in Minnesota.
Local police arrested and zip-tied many of the clergy, who did not resist, before placing them on buses. Organizers said around 100 religious leaders were detained.
Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the protest also highlighted ICE detentions of airport and airline workers.
At the Target Center, indigenous, religious, labor, and community leaders spoke out against federal actions. Rachel Dionne-Thunder of the Indigenous Protector Movement called the ICE presence a “full federal occupation by the United States government through the arm of ICE on unceded Dakota land.”
Comedian and activist Lizz Winstead, serving as host, criticized ICE for causing widespread “pain and suffering” across Minnesota. Speakers also demanded accountability for the shooting of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen killed by an ICE agent earlier this month.
Trump administration defends ICE
The protest comes amid heightened political tensions over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis on Thursday, urging local leaders and activists to reduce tensions while defending ICE officers.
Trump’s administration has argued that federal officers are carrying out an important mission to detain immigration violators, even as the crackdown has fueled clashes and protests.
Community members, including business owners, braved subzero temperatures to join the protests. Miguel Hernandez, who temporarily closed his bakery to attend, said:
"If this were any other time, no one would've gone out. For us, it's a message of solidarity with our community and a signal to politicians that they need to act."
Several Minnesota-based corporations, including Target, UnitedHealth, Medtronic, Abbott Laboratories, Best Buy, and General Mills, have not publicly commented on the ICE operations or offered guidance to employees.
“The silence from the corporations in the state is deafening,” said Winstead to the arena crowd, calling for businesses to take a stand.
