Trade unions, progressive organisations and clergy have joined forces for large-scale protest in Minnesota against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state, Associated Press reported.
A broad network of unions, progressive organisations and clergy is calling on Minnesotans to stay away from work, school and shops on Friday to protest against ICE in the state.
“We really, really want I.C.E. to leave Minnesota, and they’re not going to leave Minnesota unless there’s a ton of pressure on them. They shouldn’t be roaming any streets in our country just the way they are now,” Kate Havelin of Indivisible Twin Cities, one of the more than 100 groups that is mobilising.
Daily protests have gripped the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot US citizen Renee Nicole McLean Good during an operation on 7 January. A week later, another agent shot a Venezuelan immigrant, fuelling protests and riots. The protests led to riots and repeated clashes with agents, causing a strong reaction from both the local and international communities.
Friday’s protest is expected to be the largest co-ordinated protest to date, including a march in downtown Minneapolis, despite dangerously low temperatures ranging from -20 to -30 degrees Celsius.
Organisers of more than a hundred small businesses have pledged to close in solidarity or donate a portion of their profits. Many educational institutions will also remain closed. The University of Minnesota said due to the severe cold weather warning, face-to-face classes would not go ahead, and the St. Paul school district said classes would not take place for the same reason.
Some ethnic establishments have also decided to close during the protests, preferring to take a stand in solidarity rather than face “unplanned interruptions” to their work due to the detention of employees by agents. The clergy planned to join the march and also hold prayer services and fasts, according to a statement by a delegation of representatives of various religious traditions, from Buddhists to Jews, from Lutherans to Muslims.
President Donald Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum, stated his administration is reducing crime rates in several states. He concluded, “We are helping Minnesota, but they don’t appreciate it,” referring to the ongoing protests and clashes with federal agents.
