Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, May 1, a coalition led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Indigenous Protectors Movement (IPM) and endorsed by more than 60 unions, immigrant rights groups, and other progressive organizations took to the streets in Minneapolis to commemorate their 20th annual march on International Workers’ Day.

The coalition demanded ICE out of Minnesota and legalization for all, as the march came after months of heightened struggle against a federal occupation of the city by immigration agents and militant clashes between the people and ICE. 10,000 protesters marched, chanted, held signs and celebrated at this year’s International Workers’ Day march.

The march flooded Lake Street, the heart of the immigrant community in South Minneapolis, with large banners and flags, and contingents of various unions, immigrant rights groups, anti-war groups, student groups and other progressive movements. As is tradition for MIRAC May 1 marches, the lead banner was held by youth, this year a group of high school students. The massive march had three sound trucks, each with their own speaker programs. People and families lined the sidewalks on Lake street to join in on chants and cheer the march on, coming out of the various immigrant businesses to show their support.

Just before the program began, progressive Minneapolis City Council members held a brief press conference to read the city council’s resolution recognizing May 1 as International Workers Day, followed by a performance by Danza Unida.

At the starting rally, the crowd heard from Diego Guaman from Operación Vuelo Sagrado, a grassroots community group that was created as a direct response to the growing crackdown on immigrants in Minnesota and the need to protect, inform and support immigrant families.

“Being an immigrant is not a crime, fighting for your rights is not a crime and speaking up is not a crime!” said Diego Guaman.

Manuel Pascual, a member of MIRAC, told the crowd some May Day history and the importance of taking the streets on the city’s 20th annual May 1 march, “Every year we are out here on May 1 and every year we mean the same thing: this is the workers’ day. The immigrant workers’ day! The only holiday in the world that belongs to us!” He ended his speech by telling the crowd about MIRAC’s current campaign for a Sanctuary State in Minnesota and an end to all state and local collaboration with ICE. “We are organizing, we are showing up, we are pulling our neighbors back when ICE tries to take them. Today is the rehearsal, tomorrow we keep going!”

The march stopped at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, the site of a large federal operation where immigration agents were present in June of 2025. The crowd heard from Isavela López, an activist who was brutalized by federal agents that day and now faces bogus federal charges.

“I know that I am not alone,” said López, “Right now it’s more than about me, it’s about the kids in Palestine, it’s about the people in Venezuela, and it’s about the people that are still in detention centers right now!”

Benji Gomez, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 638 who also organized a pantry for immigrant families out of his garage during Operation Metro Surge with the help of other Teamsters from his local, told the crowd, “I am an immigrant. I am also the first in my family to join a union and it's given me real power. Unions exist because workers stood together and demanded dignity, fair wages, safe conditions and respect, and so often those workers were immigrants, people with the least protection but the courage to organize anyway! That’s still true today.”

The march also featured speakers from Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham, MFE Local 59 President Marcia Howard, members of Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, MN8, Monique Cullors-Doty with the Righteous 39, the MN Anti-War Committee, and many others representing their unions and other grassroots organizations.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization had a large and visible contingent in the march.

The march ended at a Target store across the street from the former (burned down) 3rd Precinct with a theater performance calling out Target and corporate greed, as well as more speeches inspiring the crowd to continue to take action. At the end of the march, organizers encouraged participants to eat at the immigrant businesses on Lake Street and attend an after-party at Mercado Central to finish up the day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #MIRAC #FRSO