Friday, January 23
Friday afternoon, thousands of people in Minneapolis left work and school, hundreds of businesses in the Twin Cities metro area closed and individuals, bundled in heavy winter gear, took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis.
Despite subzero temperatures, demonstrators from the cities and across the state showed up in the thousands to protest what is now the largest immigration enforcement operation by the federal government to date, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In recent weeks, over 3,000 federal agents have been operating in and around the city as part of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s latest attempt at an immigration crackdown in the Democratic city. People have been protesting federal agents’ presence in and around the Twin Cities daily since the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE officer, which has put the state of Minnesota in the national spotlight.
In the lead up to the economic blackout called “ICE Out of Minnesota: A Day of Truth and Freedom” organized by local labor unions, faith leaders and community activists, instances of violence by federal officials continued during raids and detainments.
Federal officers forced entry into a US citizen’s St. Paul home and arrested him at gunpoint earlier in the week, and a five-year-old was detained along with his father only days later on their way to preschool.
Over 50,000 people attended the Friday march to protest these federal actions and demand justice for Good’s death, which began at The Commons Park and ended inside the Target Center arena. Minnesotans came together with picket signs in hand and listened to a variety of local activists speak throughout the day about the need for accountability, but also an end to federal agents terrorizing their communities.
Saturday, January 24
Saturday morning, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by federal officers while directing traffic and helping a bystander in the Whittier neighborhood at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Pretti died at the shooting site in front of Glam Doll Donuts.
People immediately gathered following the shooting. Federal agents attempted to break up the growing crowd using tear gas, mace, pepper balls and unspecified less-than-lethal munitions. The crowd remained in the area, and chants echoed up the street calling for the federal agents to “go home”.
Protests continued up until people gathered in the evening to hold a vigil for Pretti. Vigils occurred across the city, with University community members gathering in Van Cleve Park to mourn Pretti, a University alumnus.
