Minneapolis, MN – With wind chills bringing temperatures below zero, 15,000 Minnesotans took to the streets in Minneapolis on Saturday to demand ICE get out. The protest was organized by a large coalition of immigrant rights groups and unions in response to an upsurge in attacks by ICE in the past month in the greater Twin Cities area. Many of these attacks have focused on the Somali community after Trump’s racist call for mass deportations of Somali Minnesotans.

Community members have witnessed ICE agents drag a pregnant woman through the streets, shoot pepper balls and tear gas at responders, smash car windows and kidnap people in broad daylight. During the coldest and darkest time of the year, the people have been chasing these federal agents all over the Twin Cities, militantly fighting back, letting them know they are not welcome here.

The march was organized by a large coalition that included unions and immigrant rights group such as Minneapolis Federation of Educators Local 59, SEIU Local 26, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), UNIDOS, Comunidades Organizando el Poder y La Acción Latina (COPAL), Minnesota 8 (MN8), Immigrant Defense Network (IDN), Council on American-Islamic Relations, among others.

The march included three trucks with multiple speakers from different organizations and unions. The front truck included fiery chants and speakers led by MIRAC members. MIRAC speaker Myrka Zambrano said, “We march here so they know that there is resistance. Here and all across the country, we want ICE out of our cities and we will scream it as loud as we need to!”

Emcees kept the energy high for the nearly one and a half mile march, with chants uniting the crowd against ICE. Protesters marched below a freeway bridge and echoes of “Chinga la Migra” boomed as they neared a Somali mall.

Speakers highlighted support for Somali neighbors amidst racist attacks from the Trump administration. Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN addressed protesters, “You showed up today! You came out today knowing it was going to be cold! You showed up for your neighbors, for your friends, for your teachers, for your union brothers and sisters. You came out today to show that Minnesota will not let ICE divide us!”

Tracy Molm of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) said, “In PACAT we believe our struggles and fights against the reactionary and racist policies of the second Trump administration must be met with action. While we have many different struggles, we are united in our commitment to fight back and shut it down!”

MIRAC emcees concluded the march by inviting protesters to shop at the many immigrant-owned businesses on Lake Street that have been struggling due to the recent attacks on their community. Their call to action invited the crowd to show up and take the streets with MIRAC for their 20th anniversary May 1 march in 2026.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #PACAT #ICE #CAIRMN #MFE9 #SEIU #MN8 #UNIDOS #IDN #COPAL #CJC #Feature

St. Louis Park, MN – Dozens of immigrant rights supporters gathered to protest on March 5 in the inner-ring suburb of Saint Louis Park outside Hardcoat Inc., an aluminum finishing business. Last week immigration officials swarmed the Hardcoat building at West Lake Street and Taft Avenue and detained seven immigrant workers.

The protest was called by the Immigrant Defense Network, a large network of organizations that was formed in Minnesota after the presidential election.

At the protest, a statement was read by a family member of one of the detained workers, and members of COPAL, MN8 and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) spoke.

In the last two weeks there were also immigration raids at workplaces in Duluth and Rochester, Minnesota. Speakers at the protest emphasized that the ICE operation at Hardcoat and in other parts of Minnesota shows the reality of Trump's attacks on immigrants – they are going after workers, not criminals.

#StLouisParkMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #COPAL #MN8

Minneapolis, MN – At their April 25 meeting, the Minneapolis city council passed an honorary resolution recognizing May 1 as International Workers Day and highlighting the struggle for immigrant and workers’ rights. The resolution was presented by Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai together with Councilmembers Aurin Chowdhury and Jason Chavez.

Members of several unions and immigrant rights organizations that have organized marches on May 1 over the years in Minneapolis were present to receive the resolution. This included members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Minnesota Workers United, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, COPAL, CTUL, Minnesota Immigrant Movement, as well as members of the Ironworkers and Teamsters unions. 

Here is the text of the resolution passed by the Minneapolis city council:

Whereas: Around the world May 1 is celebrated as International Workers Day – in over 60 countries it is a holiday to recognize struggles for workers’ rights; and

Whereas: May 1 was first celebrated in the United States in 1886 as part of the struggle for the eight-hour workday, and hundreds of thousands of workers across the country went on strike to demand better working conditions and shorter hours; and

Whereas: Many of the workers who struggled for the eight-hour workday in 1886 were immigrant and Black workers among others who had been previously excluded from the actions around labor and faced repression, discrimination, and violence; and

Whereas: May 1st celebrations returned to Minneapolis in 2006 because of the dedicated work done by the immigrant rights movement to counter discrimination and human rights violations against immigrants at the national level and strengthen relationship between organized labor and immigrant workers; and

Whereas: The Minneapolis City Council passed resolutions in 2007 (2007R-218) and 2009 (2009R-181) recognizing the growing immigrant and workers’ rights rallies in Minneapolis on May 1, which have continued annually through the present year; and

Whereas: Minneapolis has a long history of immigrant and workers’ rights advocates coming together in the spirit of solidarity; and

Whereas: Immigrants, workers, and their families are an essential and valued component of our Minneapolis community; and

Whereas: Labor unions and the historic and present advocacy of working people has resulted in economic, social, and political transformation for the dignity of all people here in Minneapolis and around the world;

—NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED—

That the Mayor and City Council do hereby recognize May 1, 2024, as International Workers Day in recognition of immigrant and workers’ rights.

This year on May 1 in Minneapolis, a coalition of more than 30 immigrant rights organizations, unions, and social justice organizations are planning to march for immigrant and workers’ rights. They will gather at 5 p.m. at the corner of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, outside of the former MPD Third Precinct, and the march will begin at 5:30 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #MayDay #MayDay2024 #CityCouncil #MIRAC #MNWU #Teamsters #COPAL #CTUL