Tag: Minnesota ICE

Minnesota Resistance to ICE Siege: Lessons for Labor

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Among the many important lessons that can be taken from the Minnesota resistance to ICE is the role that organized labor can play in struggles for social justice. Unions from the Minnesota Education Federation to the Service Employees International Union to the Amalgamated Transit Union helped organize some of the multitude of protest actions in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Not only did their participation help broaden the fight, but it is also proving to have strengthened the labor movement and individual unions. One example is outlined in this article by Minneapolis letter carrier Emmett Bongaarts, first published by Labor Notes. His branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers organized two protests during the ICE siege to demand that ICE stop using postal property to stage its raids; individual members of the local also participated in activities to help defend their immigrant neighbors. Organizing around immigration spurred a number of union members to start attending local meetings for the first time.

Minnesotans Keep the Heat on Despite ICE ‘Drawdown’

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, February 19, 2026 — After nearly three months, the largest anti-immigrant operation in U.S. history has officially “ended” — beaten back by a massive, sustained, and well-organized resistance involving hundreds of thousands throughout the state of Minnesota and across the country. The fight for immigrant rights is at the center of turning the tide, of winning workers to the understanding that “an injury to one is an injury to all.” Convincing rank-and-file workers to take up the campaign for legalization of their immigrant brothers and sisters is part of pulling together the forces needed to fight for better working conditions and democratic rights for all. The success of the fight in Minnesota, which has drawn tens of thousands of working people, youth, and others into action — many of them for the very first time, is an example of where we need to begin.

Nearly 30,000 Minnesotans Trained to Monitor ICE Occupation

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Federal Gov’t Tries to Defuse Resistance with Cosmetic Changes. This is an article that first appeared on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News. It describes an explosion in the number of trained volunteer observers — now nearly 30,000 across Minnesota — who monitor and record the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents. This registers the breadth of popular resistance to the terror by federal thugs deployed by the Trump administration to crack down on immigrant workers and undermine everyone’s democratic rights in that state. This activity is coupled with mass protests that have included rallies by tens of thousands and walkouts by high school students after federal goons murdered in cold blood two of these volunteer observers — U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In response, the Trump administration is trying to diffuse the growing resistance through cosmetic changes.

High School Youth Step Forward in Fight Against ICE

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Roseville, MN — Wearing black T-shirts and jackets, about 300 students at Maple Grove Senior High School marched towards Fernbrook Lane, congregating at the intersection on Monday.  Chanting, “This is what democracy looks like,” students carried signs reading “Remember Renee Good” and “ICE should be in my latte, not in my streets.” “The heart of the message is to express our need for justice,” said senior Ria de Looze. “Youth voices are so often overlooked, and this is one of our few ways to organize youth in such a powerful way. We really wanted to get the message out and inspire people to keep up the work.”

Protests Erupt Against ICE Killing in Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, January 12, 2026 — Two days ago, tens of thousands of people, according to unofficial police estimates, took to the streets here to protest the killing in cold blood of a legal observer by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. It was the latest of angry protests that have erupted in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. At least three other actions took place in the area also on January 10.
Three days earlier, on January 7, Renee Nicole Good was gunned down by ICE agent John F. Ross. She was observing and documenting a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. Good was shot while attempting to drive away from the scene. Within hours, thousands of people gathered in the residential neighborhood near the site of the shooting to demand accountability and justice. Protests have been ongoing since. They show no sign of subsiding.