Thousands Rally Against Immigration Enforcement In Subzero Minnesota Temperatures

Approximately 100 clergy members were arrested while protesting immigration enforcement at Minnesota’s largest airport, while thousands gathered in downtown Minneapolis amid Arctic temperatures to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s crackdown.

These protests are part of a larger movement opposing President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts in the state. Labor unions, progressive organizations, and clergy are urging Minnesotans to boycott work, school, and businesses. The clergy gathered at the airport to protest deportation flights and call on airlines to end what the Department of Homeland Security has labeled as its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation.

The clergy members were cited for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer before being released. They were arrested outside the main terminal of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for exceeding their protest permit and disrupting airline operations.

Rev. Mariah Furness Tollgaard of Hamline Church in St. Paul stated that they chose to be arrested to show solidarity with migrants, including fearful members of their congregation. Tollgaard planned to return to her church after the brief detainment to conduct a prayer vigil.

Protesters demand that ICE leave Minnesota, with Rev. Elizabeth Barish Browne traveling from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to join the rally in downtown Minneapolis despite the frigid temperatures. Protesters have been gathering daily in the Twin Cities since the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.

Sam Nelson, a former student of a Minneapolis high school where federal agents made an arrest, skipped work to participate in the march, emphasizing community unity against ICE presence.

Organizers reported that over 700 businesses statewide closed in support of the movement, including a range of establishments from a bookstore in Grand Marais to the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis.

An FBI supervisory agent in Minnesota resigned over the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Renee Good’s killing, citing pressure to not investigate the shooting thoroughly. Good’s death was classified as a homicide, with the initial autopsy report revealing fatal gunshot wounds.

In another incident, a 2-year-old child was reunited with her mother after being detained with her father in South Minneapolis. The family’s detention was challenged in federal court, highlighting the complexities of immigration enforcement and family separations.

These events underscore the ongoing tensions and ethical dilemmas surrounding immigration enforcement in Minnesota, with community members, activists, and law enforcement agencies at odds over the treatment of migrants and their families.