Minneapolis, MN – On April 7 over 50 anti-war protesters held Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese flags and anti-war on Iran signs and banners over Interstate-35W in downtown Minneapolis to denounce Trump’s latest threats against Iran and demand an end to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The emergency response demonstration was called by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).

On April 7, Trump stated that “a whole civilization will die” if his escalation against Iran goes forward, while he and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly threatened to send Iran “back to the Stone Age.” Trump announced an 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline for Iran to capitulate to a list of maximalist U.S. demands or face destruction of its critical civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

Bombing civilian infrastructure is considered a war crime under international law. Moreover, all attacks launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran beginning February 28 are widely understood as unprovoked, making them a war of aggression that violates the United Nations Charter.

Ahead of Trump’s deadline, Iranians have been holding large demonstrations on bridges and near power plants and other critical infrastructure in Iran threatened by Trump, in the hopes of preventing them from being bombed. The MN Anti-War Committee organized the action to show solidarity with Iranians of all backgrounds and beliefs who are standing up against Trump’s war.

Near the end of the action Trump announced that he would back down from his threat on Iran and agree to a two-week ceasefire.

Wyatt Miller, member of the AWC, explained the intent behind the protest, “This bridge is close to the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi that collapsed in 2007. Here in Minneapolis, we know that the destruction of critical infrastructure is no joke. U.S-Israeli bombings are a war crime.”

Miller continued, “Trump seems to have backed down from his genocidal threats for now. But we know he can’t be trusted. It’s more clear than ever that we need to dismantle this whole system of U.S. war and empire once and for all, no matter who’s in charge of it.”

The MN Peace Action Coalition has called for supporters to join Women Against Military Madness’ protest on Wednesday, April 8 from 4 to 5 p.m. to continue to say no to the U.S. war on Iran.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Iran #AntiWarMovement #AWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, March 31, more than 100 community members rallied outside of the Walker Library on Trans Day of Visibility to protest national policies targeting the rights of trans people.

The rally was called by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee in response to anti-trans measures, including the Trump administration’s executive orders E14168 and E14187, which have been used as templates to remove access to healthcare for adults and minors, remove protections against rape for trans prisoners in jails and immigration detention centers, and expose trans prisoners and detainees to conversion therapy, which is considered by the United Nations to be a form of torture. Earlier in the day the U.S. Supreme Court announced a decision that would overturn the right of states to ban conversion therapy.

Yann Chen, an organizer for the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke about how the U.S. government is not only forcing trans prisoners to endure conversion therapy, but also withholding medications from over 2000 trans people. In addition to these attacks on transgender people by the federal administration, legislators across the U.S. have been proposing and passing state laws targeting trans peoples’ ability to change or maintain their legal documents, or even to use the bathroom safely. In February, the state of Kansas revoked the drivers licenses of around 1700 trans people. 27 states across the U.S. have now imposed some kind of ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.

These repressive laws and policies have led to a mass migration of trans people to trans refuge states like Minnesota, where the Minnesota Human Rights Act enshrines trans rights as human rights. Lizzie Palmer, an organizer with Communities Against Transphobia, pointed out that trans people now make up 1% of Minnesota’s population, and received an audible positive response when she asked the crowd to applaud if they had moved to Minnesota from another state. However, organizers at Tuesday night’s rally argued that, in order to become a genuine refuge for trans rights, Minnesota must also ensure the ability to live with dignity.

Natalie Berger, an organizer with the Minnesota Abortion Access Committee, listed three demands as part of the group’s campaign for trans rights. The first was to make Minnesota a real trans refuge, with local agencies creating and advertising structures of support for trans refugees like housing and job placement, as well as assistance with navigating the healthcare system. The second demand was to make the name change process cheaper, non-invasive, and private, with Berger pointing out that name changes cost $322 on average in Minnesota and are matters of public record, meaning that trans people’s deadnames, or names given at birth, are accessible by public records requests. The third demand was to fund gender-affirming care at the state level. “It's one thing to say trans people are welcome here. It's another thing to mean it and practice that solidarity,” she said.

Michelle Hanlon, an organizer with Minnesota 50501, spoke about the experience of working as a healthcare provider for trans people, reminding the crowd of the importance of real support for trans people in an era when trans people are under attack more than ever.

“Visibility without support makes you a target,” Hanlon said, pointing out that Children’s Minnesota, a vital children’s hospital within the Twin Cities area, had been forced to end their gender-affirming care program due to politically motivated attacks against their organization.

Jae Yates, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Taking Back Pride Coalition, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “I see the same choice before us now. Will we submit, or will we resist? Will we hide, or fight? Will we accept a life where we are second-class citizens, afraid to take a damn piss in public, or will we demand the same respect, dignity and privacy that many cis people take for granted?”

The mood then turned solemn in remembrance of Sam Nordquist, a Black trans man from Minnesota who was tortured and murdered by a group of people in upstate New York in 2025 after he moved away from his support network in Minnesota.

Khrys Wetzel, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, read a speech written by Kayla Nordquist, Sam’s sister, who asked that protesters remember her brother as more than what happened to him. “Being seen should never come at the cost of someone’s life,” Nordquist wrote. “No one should have to choose between being themselves and being safe. Sam deserved to be seen. He deserved to be respected. He deserved to live a full, long life, without fear.”

Rae Rowe, the cofounder of the Paper Lantern Project, spoke about the organization’s work providing mutual aid and name-change clinics for Asian American and Pacific Islander trans people

Rowe stated, “They’re afraid of a love that shows ways to exist beyond capitalism, beyond tyranny, beyond the powers that be. And the last few months, we have seen what happens when we are powered by love instead of hate.”

As the rally came to a close, the protesters lined the streets with signs calling for the protection of trans youth and for justice for Sam Nordquist. Drivers honked in support as organizers led the crowd in chants of “No hate! No fear! Trans people are welcome here!” and “We’re not here to compromise! Hands off trans lives!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #LGBTQ #Trans #TransDayOfVisibility #MNAAC

Minneapolis, MN – It was an unseasonably warm spring day in Minneapolis, as around 50 people gathered in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood to mark the 50th annual observance of Palestinian Land Day.

Land Day is a commemoration of the 1976 general strike against the Israeli government’s seizure of Arab-owned land in the Galilee region. By the end of the day, six unarmed Palestinians were dead and over a hundred were injured. Since then, the day has become a commemoration of the Palestinians’ defiant struggle for their land, as well as a day of solidarity.

For the 50th observance of Land Day, the Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis served as the venue. Layna Crandall of the MN Anti War Committee (AWC) told the crowd, “We chose this location because we often hold protests in Mayday Plaza, but Cedar-Riverside is also where a large part of our Somali community lives, and is close by to Little Earth, which houses many of our native community members. This year we wanted to connect all of these struggles.”

Community members demonstrated support through honks, waves and raised fists throughout the protest

The indigenous dance group Danzaketzalb declared their solidarity with the struggle. Seppo Niemi-Colvin of the AWC stated Land Day “serves as a reminder that we still need to preserve and defend Palestinian and indigenous land, and fight to return what Israel and empire have stolen.”

Niemi-Colvin stated, “A key aspect of our divestment campaign is that where the enemy touches us is where we touch the enemy. Companies such as Palantir or Elbit may seem far off and hard to reach, but through state investments we are tied together and we can deal a blow by severing that connection. The point of days of action like Land Day is not just what we can accomplish on that day alone, but it is the building and flexing of organizational muscles that continue beyond that day.”

Maamoun Slayhi of American Muslims for Palestine stated, “I grew up knowing what a fighter jet sounds like. I grew up knowing what a bomb sounds like. I grew up knowing what it looks like when they fall. And we all knew that there was a part of our land that no longer belonged to us. It felt like a piece of us had been taken, because if at any time you tried to go down there, you could be attacked.”

Morgan Budiandri of the MN Immigrant Rights Action stated, “The parallels of Israeli apartheid and U.S. racial oppression are deafening. The perpetrators of genocide are the same as those of deportation. Both systems purposely dehumanize men, women and children to try to break them. But the desire for justice cannot be broken.”

Nadiyah Salawdeh of the US Palestinian Community Network stated, “Land Day is about honoring those that we have lost in the fight for our land and for our liberation. It is also about recommitting ourselves to the fight that is still to come.”

White Wolf of the White Earth Nation closed the event with a traditional song of healing.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #LandDay

Minneapolis, MN – Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) hosted CODEPINK Co-founder Medea Benjamin at three events in the Twin Cities the weekend of March 28-29 to discuss her recent trip to deliver aid to Cuba, Trump’s attacks on Iran and Venezuela, as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Benjamin first spoke Friday afternoon at the weekly WAMM Free Palestine rally, held at the intersections of Summit and Snelling in Saint Paul. Speaking to the crowd, Benjamin said, “I see things changing; way too slowly, agonizingly slow, certainly for the Palestinian people, certainly for the people on the West Bank who are being attacked every day by violent settlers. Certainly for the people in Lebanon, one million of whom have just been displaced, over a thousand of them killed in this recent time, since a ‘ceasefire’. And we know that in the case of Gaza, over 600 people have been killed since a supposed ceasefire. So it’s agonizingly slow, but it is changing.”

Benjamin continued, “The issue is: do you want a foreign power coming in to bomb the heck out of you, destroy your culture, and tell you who should be governing your country? No, you don’t! And that’s what the U.S. is doing in Iran, and of course we see that’s what the U.S. has just done, and tried to do, in Venezuela, that’s what they want to do in Cuba.”

Later that evening Benjamin spoke in an intimate setting of WAMM members and community members about many topics, one of which being her trips to Cuba and experiences with the Cuban people.

Benjamin stated, “The most remarkable source of income for Cubans was medical missions,” Benjamin said. “It became the number one source of income at one point. Which is just remarkable to think about, how a poor country could create so many professionals and send them all over the world to help people. And I say this with great expertise, because my life was saved by Cuban doctors.” Benjamin went on to explain that Cuban doctors in a poor region in Guinea-Bissau saved her from a horrible case of malaria.

On March 28 about 100 people gathered for WAMM’s annual meeting, themed “Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad,” featuring Benjamin alongside Layna Crandell of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump and the MN Anti-War Committee. Guests enjoyed a community meal before the talk began.

During the panel, Benjamin emphasized the ways unlimited funding for war harms us here at home. “In Minnesota, 69% of fourth graders do not read at a proficient level. Eighth grade, 72%,” she said. “And of course we know how defunded our healthcare system is, and everything else that’s good for people.” She ended by saying “It is a multipolar world. While sometimes we might feel lonely in our work here, the majority of people around the world want the same thing we do. They want to live in peace and cooperation around the world.”

The panel also featured Layna Crandell, a member of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT), who stated, “U.S. intervention has destabilized countries, supported coups to carry out regime change, and imposed deadly sanctions that strangle economies. This forces people to migrate for survival, only for them to be criminalized and targeted when they come here looking for better conditions. All the while, the aggression we see directed at our own communities relies on the same tools used to destabilize nations abroad. The brutality carried out on the periphery becomes normalized, making it easier to carry out similar repression here through the degradation of human rights, through policing, surveillance, and border control.”

After the event, many attended the No Kings protest in Saint Paul, featuring guests like Senator Bernie Sanders, Jane Fonda and Bruce Springsteen. Upwards of 200,000 people were said to be in attendance, making it the largest single protest in Minnesota history. Benjamin attended and talked with demonstrators at the event. The weekend was a large success, giving hundreds of Minnesotans opportunities to learn from Benjamin’s experiences fighting U.S. imperialism in the belly of the beast.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #WAMM #CodePink

Minneapolis, MN – On March 24, 75 people gathered at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with Iran and to demand an end to the aggression of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East.

The protest was called by the MN Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) to draw attention to the level of devastation that the U.S. and Israel have unleashed in their war of aggression on Iran. The past four weeks have seen the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials, together with a relentless bombing campaign that has wrought destruction on Iran’s people, environment, and cultural sites.

Naveen Borojerdi, a member of the MN Anti War Committee and MPAC, opened the program. He has family in Tehran who have spent the past four weeks struggling to survive under the relentless onslaught of the U.S. and Israel. Borojerdi stated, “This past Friday, it officially became the year 1405 on the Persian calendar. May this year be the year that the criminals waging this illegal war on Iran finally lose.”

Speakers pointed out that the Minnesota State Board of Investment has millions of dollars in public pension funds invested in companies like Raytheon and Palantir, whose technology directly aids and abets war crimes like the Minab school massacre.

Vincent O’Connor from the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “When the Pentagon requested $200 billion to fund the war on Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth explained it by saying that it ‘takes money to kill bad guys’. What bad guys? The common thread throughout decades of bloodshed from Latin America to southeast Asia to the Middle East is that the U.S. oligarchy will deem anyone a ‘bad guy’ to suit their own selfish interests.”

Amber Mathwig, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and member of About Face, spoke directly to the American service members carrying out this war, “Why must children in their classrooms, with their tiny, colorful backpacks and voices of excitement on their first day of school, be murdered so that we can sit in classrooms and claim superiority?”

Danna Qamhieh from USPCN stated that “Palestinians are all too familiar with the aggressive war-mongering and criminal tactics of the United States and Israel. We are familiar with the concept of ‘pre-emptive’ strikes, framed as defensive actions against an ever-present threat.”

The event concluded with a call to continue action against American wars in the Middle East, including taking the message to the No Kings rally on Saturday, March 28.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, March 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and other partners hosted a protest and march on International Women’s Day at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The protest drew over 500 people across generations and movements.

International Women's Day was born as a result of mass action by immigrant working women. These women walked out and began marching to demand better lives. The rights we have today came from people who refused to stay silent, refused to stay home, and refused to accept the conditions imposed on them. This International Women's Day, organizers in the Twin Cities demanded protection for our immigrant neighbors, opposition to U.S. militarism, community control of the police, freedom for the wrongfully incarcerated, resistance to U.S. imperialism across the globe, and trans liberation now.

An immigrant woman representing MIRAC stated, “All we want is peace – stop treating us like criminals and delinquents and start treating us like the workers that we are.” Other speakers detailed the horrors immigrant women face in detention centers, including, sexual assault, forced sterilization, and forced birth.

Nekima Levy Armstrong is a pastor, lawyer, and leader who was arrested earlier this year, celebrated the people’s unified response to Operation Metro Surge.

Isavela Lopez is an organizer in the Twin Cities who was abused by ICE in June. That abuse resulted in four federal charges which she is still fighting. During her speech, she linked immigration to U.S. imperialism. She spoke about how when the federal government destabilizes other countries, the families in those countries are forced to migrate.

An organizer with Women Against Military Madness stated, “War and regime change has never liberated women of other countries. Any attempt by the U.S. government to tell you that their bombing and killing campaigns abroad are for the safety of women is an outright lie.”

A representative of 50501 told the crowd, “Many people are just beginning to realize how discriminatory and racist these so-called public safety agencies are. But immigrant communities and communities of color have been dealing with the practices for a long time.”

Mona Samuels spoke about the brutal death of her sister. Minutes after the police left her sister with her abuser, she was shot 22 times and killed. Their cases show how racist and sexist the Minneapolis Police Department is, and why we need community control of the police.

Nicole Anschutz and Nicole Farias-Lezama spoke on behalf of the Planned Parenthood Union. Nicole Farias-Lezama said, “Eliminating trans rights reinforces traditional gender stereotypes and patriarchal systems that have historically oppressed women.”

This International Women's Day, many speakers highlighted the attacks on the transgender community, namely, in Kansas where trans people have had their drivers licenses revoked. On behalf of MNAAC, Natalie Berger introduced a new campaign that focuses on increasing support for trans refugees.

MNAAC’s next action is planned for Trans Day of Visibility. It will be held at Walker Library on March 31 at 6 p.m.

Beth Miller is a member of Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #ImmigrantRights

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday March 13, Minnesotans held a candlelight vigil in honor of the 165 to 180 victims, majority children, of the U.S. bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Iran.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).

As the vigil began, the crowd of about 50 mourned around a memorial with a display of the victims, flowers and tea lights, while the names and ages of victims, most of whom were girls between seven and 12 years old, were read out before community members came up to speak on their importance.

AWC member Maddy Boucher said, “Tonight, we stand up for the kids our nation has erased from this world. Our children. The world’s children. It is all of our duty to protect the children of the world. It eats on my conscience and it eats on me as a mother. We pay taxes that go directly to killing little children everywhere.”

The massacre, which occurred on February 28 at the outset of the war, shocked people across the world. Despite the U.S. government attempts to suggest a misfired Iranian missile hit the school, new details in the press confirmed U.S. responsibility and revealed it was conducted with two Tomahawk missiles, in a “double-tap” strike. After the first missile hit, students and teachers sheltered in a prayer room while first responders and parents were called. The second strike hit 40 minutes later, killing more inside the school as well as some of those who came to their rescue.

“Tomahawk missiles are manufactured by Raytheon, a U.S. company also known as RTX, which Tim Walz and the State Board of Investment fund by investing 88 million Minnesota pension dollars in,” said emcee Maeve Aickin, highlighting the urgency of the AWC’s long-running DivestMN campaign against the state’s investments in weapons manufacturers and apartheid Israel. “My public school teacher pension is invested in the development of technologies for killing children in what should be safe spaces of learning, and killing my peers in Iran in their place of work.”

Lina Jebara of the US Palestinian Community Network connected the massacre to the widespread killing of children in the region by the U.S. and the Israeli military it sponsors. Together, they have taken the lives of at least 20,000 children in Palestine since the beginning of the genocide in 2023, and killed or injured 1100 more in Iran and Lebanon after launching their attack two weeks ago.

Jebara said, “Every single one of these children was someone’s world. Every single one of these children deserved the same sense of safety, security and protection afforded to all the children in our lives. Every single one represents the future of these countries.”

Over 1200 Iranians have been killed and millions more have been displaced, but Climate Justice Committee member Ben Sullivan-McKone pointed to the long environmental toll of the campaign, particularly the bombing of an oil refinery in Tehran, which caused chemical rain over the city of 10 million people. “The effects of this toxic black rain will be felt for generations,” he said. “These acts must be called what they are; crimes against humanity, crimes against the earth. It is an attack on not only the people, but their entire ecosystem – land, air and water. Nothing will be spared.”

At the end of the program, mourners each laid a flower in front of the memorial.

Jebara told the crowd, “We cannot be content with expressing our remorse only after these attacks occur. We need to proactively organize, take to the streets and fight back to upend the U.S. war machine before more lives are needlessly taken. The future of Iran, its land, its resources belong to Iranians, belonged to the schoolgirls that the U.S. martyred. Not to Donald Trump and his friends.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Minneapolis – On the evening of Saturday February 28, 200 protesters answered an emergency call from the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) to gather at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis to oppose U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Overnight the news broke that the U.S. and Israel had begun carrying out coordinated strikes by land and sea which struck the Iranian cities of Tehran, Qom, Tabriz, and Khorrashahr. Dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by the Pentagon, the attack took place in the midst of negotiation talks between the U.S. and Iran.

Saturday’s protest featured speakers from many anti-war groups in the Twin Cities, many of which are member organizations of the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

In their speech, Lina Jebara of the U.S. Palestinian Community told the crowd, “We should be clear with ourselves and with our peers, that the U.S. bombing Iran is not evidence that Israel controls the U.S. Trump is not being blackmailed to drag us into this war, and this is not something that could only ever happen under the Trump administration.”

Jebara pointed out, “Taking down Iran has long been an aim of this country because this country prioritizes lining the pockets of billionaire oil execs and friends rather than its own working-class people.”

Yossi Aharoni of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the crowd about the bombing of an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, “the largest attack of which was directed against an all-girls school, murdering at least 108 young girls and injuring 80 more. This is all amidst the backdrop of two and a half years of the ongoing genocide of Gaza, four years of the U.S. proxy war against Russia, two months after the illegal kidnapping of President Maduro of Venezuela, three months of the federal occupation of Minneapolis by ICE, and barely one month since the murder of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”

Naveen Borojerdi, an Iranian American with family in Iran, spoke as a representative of MPAC and had a message regarding his recent meeting with a staffer for Minnesota Senator Tina Smith.

Saturday’s protest was just one of dozens that were held across the United States to oppose Trump’s war with Iran. The nationwide Anti-War Action Network called on member organizations in cities ranging from New Orleans, Portland, Dayton, Tucson, Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, Dallas, New York, and many others to hold demonstrations against the war.

The next protest against U.S. attacks on Iran will be on Tuesday, March 3 at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis at 5 p.m. as a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for action for that day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Iran #AntiWarCommittee #USPCN

Minneapolis, MN — During rush hour, February 19, protesters rallied in the freezing cold beneath the Interstate 94 bridge to demand the divestment of Minnesota taxpayer money from Israel, ICE and Palantir, a corporation that abets both institutions’ violence.

The rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) in response to the Anti-War Action Network’s (AWAN) call for a national week of action against Israel’s continuing U.S.-sponsored genocide in Gaza.

As attendees chanted, “No hate, no fear; divest from Palantir,” emcee Brian Chval of the AWC set the tone for the evening by highlighting the thematic and financial threads connecting Operation Metro Surge to Israel’s violent surveillance regime in Gaza and the West Bank.

Taher Herzallah, American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP) director of outreach and community organizing stated, “We are standing here today, speaking in one voice – telling ICE to get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” Herzallah added, “And I don’t say that in the fake, performative way that [Minneapolis mayor] Jacob Frey says it on TV. Is Jacob Frey out there doing ICE watch?”

“He’s not doing shit!” crowd members shouted in reply.

Alvin Sheng of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) stated, “Both U.S. parties would gladly throw immigrants under the bus like they’re doing for the Palestinians, as seen by Walz’s kowtowing to the border czar Homan’s demand for greater cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement.”

Sonja Tomasko of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) spoke about WAMM’s grassroots campaign demanding that the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners divest from Waterfall, an Israeli cybersecurity firm. One of Waterfall’s directors, Ami Shafran, served in the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for four decades.

Tomasko stated, “I want to pause on that number for a moment,” Tomasko said. “40 years working for the IOF! To the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners, we ask, ‘How could you do business with this man?’” Tomasko detailed WAMM’s success in pressuring the board to select a replacement for Waterfall without connections to apartheid and genocide, but she emphasized the importance of continued community pressure until the contract is officially terminated.

At the end of the rally, Maeve Aickin of the AWC spoke about Palantir’s active participation in war crimes and human rights violations across the U.S. and the Middle East as a consequence of its Forward Deployed Software Engineer model.

Aickin stated, “This year, we have all witnessed the human cost of Palantir’s technology firsthand—in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our schools. ICE terror has transformed the geography of our city so that we know intersections not by the dead presidents whose names they bear but by the names of our friends, neighbors, and students who were abducted in these places.”

Aickin continued, “Palantir technology constitutes the very fabric of the modern surveillance state, and it quilts Palestine and Minneapolis closer together as working people in both territories resist state violence and occupation while their neighbors are kidnapped and murdered.”

Aickin closed her speech by directing attendees to call Governor Walz’s office demanding that he use his power as chair of the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest the $55 million in public worker pension funds currently invested in Palantir.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Palantir

Minneapolis, MN – Over 1000 union members, immigrant rights activists and supporters marched through Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood on Monday, February 16, to demand an end to ICE’s occupation of the city and for the defense of immigrant rights.

Marchers held dozens of banners with slogans like “ICE our now,” “Legalization for all,” and “Killer ICE off our streets.” The march began at Stewart Park, crossed a highway where the supportive honks of passing traffic temporarily drowned out the marchers’ chants, and ended at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, where Alex Pretti was murdered.

Pretti was shot repeatedly in the back while held down on the ground by masked federal agents agents, after stepping between the agents and a woman who they were attempting to pepper spray.

The march was headlined by the Minnesota AFL-CIO, and was endorsed by many local unions, including AFGE Local 3669, AFSCME Council 5 and Council 65, ATU Local 1005, IATSE Local 13, IAM District 77, IUPAT District Council 82, LiUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Minnesota Nurses Association, NALC Branch 9, SEIU Locals 26 and 284, UFCW Locals 1189 and 663, and UNITE HERE Local 17. Many community organizations endorsed the event and turned out their membership to march as well, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations — MN (CAIR-MN), 50501 Minnesota, Reviving Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE), Women’s March Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Speakers were unanimous in driving home the message that ICE occupation of Minnesota has not ended. Manuel Pascual, a member of MIRAC, spoke to the crowd from the back of a truck as the marchers took the streets, saying, “Just days ago, federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge. Let’s be clear — that did not happen because they suddenly found compassion. It happened because people across Minnesota organized, spoke out, marched, and refused to stay silent. It happened because immigrant communities and allies showed courage. It happened because resistance worked.”

However, Pascual continued to note that the community fight against ICE continues, and spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s agreeing to “unprecedented” levels of state collaboration with ICE, without details of this agreement being made public. Pascual said, “What we are seeing now is not a victory lap from those in power. It is a shift in strategy. A quieter approach. Deals being made behind closed doors. Policies that risk embedding ICE deeper into our local systems — into our jails, into policing, into everyday encounters — where harm becomes less visible but no less real. We must say clearly: we will not be fooled.”

Organizers noted that a decreased ICE presence in Minnesota also does not mean that the battle against ICE has ended on a national scale, and that just as millions marched across the country in solidarity with Minnesota, Minnesota will march in solidarity with any future city to see a large-scale occupation by ICE.

When the march arrived at the site of Alex Pretti’s murder, organizers handed out flowers to attendees so they could lay them in tribute at his memorial. The crowd was asked to repeat these slogans after the emcee: “We have a duty to fight for our freedom! We have a duty to win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

MIRAC plans to take their demands for an end to ICE terror and for legalization for all directly to Governor Walz, with a rally outside the Minnesota Governor’s Residence at 1006 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Labor #AFLCIO #AFGE #AFSCME #ATU #IAM #MIRAC #CAIRMN #FRSO

Minneapolis, MN – 30 people gathered in 16-degree weather in the heart of Minneapolis on February 7 to call for U.S. hands off Venezuela, Cuba and Iran, after weeks and months of tension, threats of escalation, and direct attacks on these sovereign counties.

The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition organized the action as part of an International Day of Action called by the Unione Sindicale di Base (USB), a dockworkers union located in Genoa, Italy. The dockworkers union called for the day of protest to shut down the U.S. war machine.

The cold weather did not discourage the crowd in their energy as they filled the streets with chants of “We will say it every time; U.S. sanctions are a crime!” and “From Venezuela to Falasteen, stop the U.S. war machine!”

Speakers addressed the parallels between the attacks from ICE in Minnesota to Trump’s attacks on Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran.

Yossi Aharoni, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, stated, “Six months ago in a brazen act of aggression and escalation the Trump administration attacked the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz in Iran. One month ago, the Trump administration kidnapped the sitting president of a sovereign nation, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, killing over 30 Cuban bodyguards along with dozens of Venezuelans. Two months ago in December 2025, the Trump administration began Operation Metro Surge, which can only be described as a federal occupation of the Twin Cities.”

Aharoni continued, “Both ICE and the IOF [Israeli occupation forces] rely on Palantir’s AI surveillance technology data to track and capture their victims. The bombs dropped on civilians in Gaza are made by the same companies that build the bombs that Trump and Netanyahu drop on Iran. The same 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine that Trump uses to justify attacks against Venezuela are used against Cuba; Trump believes the U.S. can treat Latin America like its own backyard! The same threats that Trump makes against Venezuela are made against Cuba.”

Allison Gunderson, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and the Women Against Military Madness, participated in a U.S. delegation to Venezuela in December and spoke about the need to stand with the people of Venezuela and President Maduro against U.S. attacks.

Gunderson stated, “It is our duty to stand with Venezuela, Cuba, Latin America and the Caribbean and demand an end to U.S. interventions, devastating sanctions, and the stealing of resources and wealth from these countries!” She continued, “We cannot allow the Trump administration to do whatever it wants, especially not waltz into any country it pleases and kidnap their democratically elected leaders, as Trump has made it clear he intends to do to Cuba next! We must demand President Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores be released and we must be ready to get in the streets to protest these sham court proceedings. We have to let it be known we say hell no to Trump's efforts to criminalize the Bolivarian revolution!”

Oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba have been cut off as a result of the U.S. attack on Caracas, Venezuela. Cuba is now facing an energy crisis; this, combined with the pre-existing embargo, will directly threaten the lives of the people.

Demonstrators held signs saying, “Hands off Venezuela” and “No war with Iran.”

Dex Davis explained why he felt the need to show up in the streets. “How can anyone build a life when a foreign power controls their access to medicine, food, fuel, electricity and education? This is the reality for people in Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.”

As Minnesotans continue to respond to the attacks by ICE in their communities, it is clear they are making connections to Trump’s attacks abroad and will keep showing up in the streets.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Venezuela #Cuba #MNAWC #WAMM #MPAC

Minneapolis, MN — In freezing temperatures with wind whipping around downtown Minneapolis, hundreds of protesters huddled near the front doors of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to rally against a proposed $170 billion in additional funding for ICE.

With the current administration pouring millions of dollars, thousands of heavily armed agents, and a staggering volume of chemical weaponry into a violent occupation of Minnesota dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” Minnesotans continue to stand their ground against political repression no matter the weather.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and included speakers from the Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, and the Council on American Islamic Relations Minnesota.

Kelly Thomas from the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice said, “Amy Klobuchar has a long history of not doing the right thing. She loves prosecuting Black and brown youth but protecting killer cops. Shame! She says she wants ICE out of Minnesota but isn’t willing to support the Palestinian people as they resist their own occupation and ongoing genocide. Shame!”

Myrka Zambrano of MIRAC said, “It seems that our leaders have forgotten who it is they serve. They do not serve a federal agency, they do not serve a king, they serve us, their constituents. They have a responsibility to us and we will hold them accountable!”

Congressional leaders are currently negotiating a number of funding packages as they attempt to reach a federal budget agreement by January 30 and avoid another government shutdown. As of yet there is no agreement on the funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). The negotiation of this particular bill will determine whether additional billions of taxpayer money is allocated to these agencies.

MIRAC is calling on Minnesota’s members of Congress to reject any bill that includes funding for ICE and CBP, demanding “Not one more cent for ICE! Stop the deportations! Legalization for all!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Klobuchar #MIRAC #TCC4J #CAIRMN

Minneapolis, MN – ICE has committed its second open murder of 2026 in the Twin Cities, with the fatal shooting of a legal observer on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on the morning of January 24. The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), quickly had members on the scene to document and began planning a vigil for the fallen community member.

The shooting was witnessed and documented by several bystanders, some of whom were then detained by ICE. In a widely circulated video from one bystander, five to six ICE agents can be seen swarming, tackling and pistol-whipping a community member. As the civilian kneels, surrounded by agents, one agent shoots him. The agents then begin to back up, and at least one of them shoots the community member several more times as he lies motionless on the ground.

Local authorities have since confirmed that the victim is dead. The Star Tribune has identified him as 37-year-old Alex Jeffery Pretti of Minneapolis.

This killing comes after the January 7 murder of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, who an ICE agent shot multiple times after she stopped her car to document agents’ activities in her South Minneapolis neighborhood. The next week, ICE agents nonfatally shot a Minneapolis resident in North Minneapolis.

At all three incidents, and throughout the surge of ICE brutality that has terrorized Twin Cities communities, local law enforcement, including Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, have responded to ICE violence by acting as a security force for the perpetrators, pointing their boots towards Minneapolis residents while federal agents leave the scenes of their crimes without consequence.

No arrest has been made or charges brought against Jonathan Ross, Good’s killer, nor against the agent who committed the shooting the following week, nor the agents whose tear gas nearly killed a six-month-old, nor the agents who recently kidnapped a five-year-old and a two-year-old, nor any of the agents who have racially profiled, stalked, assaulted, battered and unlawfully detained people of color and their neighbors over the past months.

Since the murder of Alex Pretti on January 24, thousands of protesters continue to mobilize near the site, chanting “ICE out” and “The people united will never be defeated!”

MIRAC called for a rally the evening of January 24 to bring people together after the latest ICE murder. Speeches emphasized the need for immediate action to remove ICE, without the National Guard interfering with protests.

Charlie Berg, an organizer in the Climate Justice Committee and a Freedom Road Socialist Organization member, said to the crowd, “Alex Pretti was executed in broad daylight by these occupier pigs.” Addressing politicians controlled by billionaires, he added “The only way this ends is with ICE to getting the fuck out of our city. You've been warned.”

“We are on a precipice,” says MIRAC member Owen Lubozynski. “The agents of an authoritarian regime are terrorizing and disappearing our neighbors, brutalizing observers, injuring journalists and killing with impunity. Any leader who is against this must do everything in their power to impede our country’s plunge into dictatorship while they still can.”

City and state officials responded to the righteous anger of community members by calling out the National Guard. But Minnesotans have not been deterred or scared away from gathering at the site of Pretti’s murder.

“It is us, even when we are scared, when our hearts are heavy, full of emotion, that we work to fight for what is right. While they teargas us and shoot at us, it is our community members that come to our aid. Do not forget that. Our community has shown resilience, has shown love and generosity in the face of danger. It is us that keeps us safe!” said Esper Garcia from MIRAC.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #KillerICE #AlexPretti #ReneeGood #MIRAC #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, January 23, at 2 p.m., it was -11 degrees F with -40 windchill when over 50,000 Minnesotans bundled up in layers and scarves braved the extreme cold. They gathered in a park near US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis to demand that ICE leave the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.

By 1 p.m. the park was already beginning to fill up with people arriving early to avoid clogged traffic and backed-up light rail trains coming into the area, getting crowded with Minnesotans coming to the march. By 2 p.m., there was no way to see the edges of the protest from inside the crowd, even when standing on benches to get a better view, as it stretched many blocks in all directions and around corners, flooding a large section of downtown.

From the middle of the crowd there was no way to tell what time the march began moving. However, marchers near the front reported that they were already at the end point of the march 14 blocks away, over an hour before the back half of the march had begun to move. During the march, the 14-block route of wide downtown streets was packed full of sidewalk to sidewalk, as was the park at the beginning and the area surrounding the endpoint.

The march ended at the Target Center, which is the arena where the Minnesota Timberwolves play basketball. A large indoor rally was held in the Target Center, which holds over 20,000 and was sold out of free tickets for the event. First Avenue is a large music venue in Minneapolis, and it also opened as a warming center and to live stream the rally. It was also full. Many more never made it inside at either venue.

Over 1000 Minneapolis businesses had announced they would close as part of the day of action.

The march was the centering of a long day of actions called “ICE Out of Minnesota – Day of Truth and Freedom.” The day was called for by a group of unions working together with immigrant rights organizations and community groups across the Twin Cities.

The day of action began with a 6 a.m. picket at the Como Avenue location of HealthPartners, a large medical system in the Twin Cities, where the workers are members of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa and are in bargaining for their next union contract. The HealthPartners workers have authorized an upcoming strike with a 99% vote to strike. The picket on Friday was an informational picket that was part of the coordinated day of action. At the time of the picket, it was -21 degrees real temperature and around -50 degrees windchill and pitch dark, yet the picket was large and boisterous.

Around 10 a.m., 100 clergy and religious leaders were arrested in a sit-in at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, where thousands of people have been deported and airport workers have been arrested by ICE.

Soon after the action at the airport, members of Minneapolis Federation of Educators, the union in Minneapolis Public Schools, held an action at the Minneapolis City Hall highlighting ICE’s reign of terror on the children, staff and families at Minneapolis schools. Many more actions were held by unions and groups who were part of the day of action, and many workers stayed home from work to participate in the day.

This march and many actions of the day were only the latest of dozens of huge protests and actions in the Twin Cities to resist ICE’s Metro Surge.

Recent weeks have seen ICE terrorizing community members – sometimes with intentional targets and other times seemingly at random – with ICE escalating interactions with the public daily, doing things like smashing car windows and dragging people out of cars, and beating people in the streets.

ICE has also blocked victims of their violence from receiving necessary medical care. The list of atrocities by ICE in the Twin Cities has sharply grown since an ICE agent murdered Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis on January 7.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #ReneeGood #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On January 21, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a press conference outside Mayor Jacob Frey’s office to respond to the federal agents’ ongoing assault upon the people of Minneapolis, and to demand that city officials prosecute the violent agents harming our communities, rather than the people reacting to that harm.

This call to action is a follow up to the “Real Sanctuary Now!” campaign, in which MIRAC pushed the mayor and city council to enact stronger safeguards against collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE.

Among the petitioning, rallies and other actions to push the campaign forward, MIRAC organized a sit-in in Mayor Frey’s office on October 28 to demand that the mayor not only pay lip service but take concrete steps to protect immigrant communities of Minneapolis. Instead of engaging in dialogue with the community organizers waiting in his office, Mayor Frey chose to let the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) arrest all 11 of them. Since then, city prosecutors have used their time to uphold trespassing charges against the activists over months of negotiations, until the sit-in participants agreed to be fined for petty misdemeanors.

MIRAC organized the press conference to highlight the city prosecutors’ and MPD’s prioritization of the suppression of dissent over the preservation of the rights the people of Minneapolis. A MIRAC member who participated in the sit-in, Owen Lubozynski, stated, “every time MPD is dispatched to a scene where community members are responding to ICE violence, the officers’ boots are pointing at us. Never have we seen them standing on the side of Minneapolis residents. Never have we seen them facing the state-sponsored terrorists who represent the greatest threat to our civil rights and our safety.”

Angel Smith-El, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, provided further context by pointing out that “the Minneapolis Police Department has never been held accountable for police terror, or assisting the residents of Minneapolis when it comes to police crimes or domestic abuse,” and so we must have community control of the police to guarantee real accountability and non-cooperation between MPD and federal agents.”

The council member for Minneapolis’s Ward 2, Robin Wonsley, expanded upon MPD’s failure to protect the community by recalling that in 2023, “a council member requested MPD to block off streets here in downtown in response to Somali youth, apparently causing a ruckus in the downtown area around the Fourth of July. We saw cement barriers go up to prevent youth from accessing that. Why aren’t we seeing the same rapid response from the MPD to put up blockages to protect our neighbors as well from federal ICE agents? That’s the request that has been posed to the mayor’s office that has not been complied with.”

Owen Lubozynski points out, “Regular people are out patrolling for ICE, observing them, documenting them, and chasing them out of our neighborhoods. And we are also giving our neighbors rides to work and to school, delivering groceries, organizing fundraisers, guarding neighborhoods and local businesses. We are taking care of each other.”

In response to concerns from the press about the ways regular people are fighting back against ICE, Erika Zurawski, co-founder of MIRAC, stated that “We would never condemn any type of protest, or protester, for the way that they want to show their reaction and their objection to the Trump administration and to how these ICE agents are destroying communities and kidnapping people out of their vehicles. ICE agents are being violent actors in this; they are the only ones bringing violence into our communities. Anybody who objects and opposes this violence, we will not condemn them for protesting against these atrocities.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #ICE

Minneapolis, MN – The People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a massive mobilization to protest Jake Lang’s planned “Crusader March,” where he announced that he would burn a Quran on the steps of City Hall before marching into the predominantly Somali Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

He and a handful of other racists were confronted by extreme cold weather. They were shut down and chased away by an overwhelming crowd of at least 1000, who answered PACAT’s call for a “Protest to defend our neighbors!”

Lang is a January 6 rioter pardoned by Trump; he is a reactionary provocateur making a name for himself through social media stunts targeting Muslims. Lang announced his plans to march in Minneapolis over a month ago, falsely claiming he had a permit for the City Hall rotunda.

Since that announcement, Trump unleashed Operation Metro Surge, bringing some 3000 federal agents to carry out abductions and deportations, in the name of immigration enforcement. Community anger at the operation has only grown since the murder of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross last week.

Organizers from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, and the Anti-War Committee gave speeches and led chants on the mic, as Lang huddled in a city hall window recess well across the street. As the massive crowd chanted and shouted, it was impossible to hear any of the hate Lang tried to spew.

Lang was pelted with water balloons, sprayed with silly string and super soakers. As he grew increasingly frustrated, several members of the American Indian Movement appeared on the scene, and that seemed to be the last straw for Lang. Unable to be heard, or to burn any Qurans, Lang turned heel and was chased back to his hotel by a crowd that refused to tolerate his pro-ICE anti-Muslim message.

Lang has since taken to social media, claiming he was “literally lynched by an anti-white mob.” He continued, “I’m at the hospital now getting staples in my skull… Nearly ripped limb from limb in Minneapolis!!!!” He asked his racist supporters to send him money for his hospital bill and future security.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #JakeLang #Reactionaries #Nazi #MIRAC #USPCN #PACAT #Feature

On Wednesday, January 14 at about 7:00pm, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Community (MIRAC) received reports of an ICE shooting at 6th St & 24th Ave in North Minneapolis. Reports confirm a community member was shot in the leg by ICE thugs. He is alive, but was taken away by ambulance. As the events unfolded, ICE officers also denied medical care to a pregnant woman present inside the home.

The Minneapolis Police Department taped off the scene. However, when observers, elected leaders and press turned out, they began to depart and were fully cleared from the area around 8:40pm. Dozens more ICE agents arrived on the scene.

ICE terrorized the community by deploying flash bangs, tear gas, and pepper balls. ICE agents shot fireworks at protesters in a clear effort to distort media reports and defame community members who showed up to decry their brutality. Surveillance drones and choppers circled the area.

State Troopers were eventually deployed to the scene and MPD officers returned in riot gear by 10:00pm. An unknown number of protesters have been arrested.

Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey used a press conference to try to blame protesters for ICE violence. This is shameful. Anything short of total condemnation of ICE makes MPD complicit in this attack on our community. MIRAC will continue to demand stronger protections and a real sanctuary city.

MIRAC condemns state violence and terror. We reject statements by local officials attempting to denounce protests as unlawful. We must be clear: there is violence and there is resistance to violence. They must not be equated. If elected officials want to help – get violent agents out of our city and out of our state.

MIRAC condemns ICE as an agency of liars. Every time they open their mouth, they are caught in another lie. Their fabricated version of events must never be accepted. We must call out and denounce their intentional misinformation.

MIRAC stands in full solidarity with the community that was attacked this evening by ICE! ICE out of Minnesota now!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #MIRAC #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On January 11, over 50 people rallied to demand an end to state terror from Minneapolis to Palestine.

Attendees waved Palestine and Venezuelan flags in the busy intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Oak Grove on the corner of Loring Park and displayed a banner on the pedestrian bridge over I-94 reading “Free Palestine: End ethnic cleansing.”

Minneapolis has once again become the epicenter in the struggle against state terror. Earlier this month, the Trump administration deployed 2000 ICE agents to Minneapolis. As a result of the escalated ICE presence, on January 7, ICE agents killed Renee Nicole Good, who was protecting immigrant community members. The crackdown on civil liberties and human rights in the U.S. mirror the experiences that Palestinians encounter in the West Bank daily.

Cece Maves, a member of the AWC stated. “Renee Good was denied medical care on the scene. She was called a ‘domestic terrorist’ by our government before her body was even laid to rest. It reminds me of the raids in the West Bank that Palestinians still face to this day, where emergency services are denied, and the victims of violence are immediately villainized by Israeli forces.”

Dr. Christine Harb, a member of USPCN told the crowd, “On January 6, my brother sent me videos from Birzeit University in the West Bank, where Hamas has no control or jurisdiction, of Israeli soldiers raiding the school with tear gas and wounding dozens of students who are simply pursuing their education. On January 7, ICE raided Roosevelt High School here in Minneapolis, terrifying students and their teachers to the point that kids don’t want to go to school anymore.”

Allison Gunderson, a member of WAMM and the AWC ended the rally, stating, “As anti-imperialists, we know these events don’t happen in a vacuum. We know they are all rooted in one cause: U.S. imperialism. Every innocent life taken in Palestine, every innocent life taken defending the Bolivarian Revolution, and every innocent life taken by the hands of ICE and MPD all serves to feed the same bloodthirsty machine that will continue to lash out and cause chaos and violence until it is put down like the sick dog that it is! So we have one job: and that is to keep showing up and keep strengthening the solidarity between these struggles!”

The event was organized by the Minnesota Anti War Committee (AWC) and included speakers from the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Women Against Military Madness (WAMM).

This protest took place just a day after a massive anti-ICE rally, showing that Minneapolis continues to show up to fight back against state terror both here and abroad.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #AWCMN #WAMM #USPCNMN #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN- The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) led a historic march of 100,000 people through Minneapolis to honor the life of Renee Nicole Good and to demand ICE out of Minnesota. The gathering was not only a show of grief and anger, but a powerful declaration of collective resistance.

On the morning of January 7, community member Renee Good was observing a raid and was murdered by an ICE agent. Good was known as a devoted mother and a neighbor who believed deeply in protecting her community. On the night of her murder, thousands gathered at a vigil and rally organized by MIRAC to mourn her loss.

In the days that followed, the city became a living memorial. Community members marched through neighborhoods, laid flowers at Goods’s memorial, and mobilized together to demand concrete action to remove ICE from Minneapolis. While city leaders spoke from podiums and expressed solidarity, the people were clear that words alone are not enough, demanding real action. No meaningful steps have yet been taken by most officials to ensure that immigrant communities are protected from further ICE terror.

The January 10 march began with a rally in South Minneapolis in Powderhorn Park, not far from where Renee Good was murdered, and in a neighborhood that is highly organized in its resistance to ICE. Rapid Response groups constantly patrol the neighborhood and let ICE know they are not welcome in the city.

During the march, speakers gave voice to the urgency and moral clarity of the moment as tens of thousands of people continued to pour into the streets for hours on end.

Noah Schumacher of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) told the crowd, “I think we have some demands, am I right?! are here today to demand ICE get out of MN. We are here today to demand an end to the mass deportations of our immigrant siblings. We are here today to demand Governor Walz tell his National Guard forces to stand down and not repress the people’s movement! We are here today to demand justice for Renee Good, a mother and poet who was murdered in cold blood for trying to protect her neighbors. We are here today to demand an end to the blatant attacks on Black and brown people.”

Dieu Do, a member of MIRAC stated, “You don’t send 2000 agents to a state where you’re meeting your quota. You don’t ask for backup when you’re winning a fight. People see through their deception, and they know their days of terrorizing our communities are coming to an end. Because no matter what resources they have, they can’t outlast our movement. We believe in each other. We believe in this fight. And we believe we can win – because we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t.”

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar addressed the crowd from the sound truck as the march continued to flood Lake Street stating “They came to terrorize, abduct and deport Somali immigrants here in Minnesota…As they lose their minds trying to intimidate us, I see every day, every single day, neighbors trailing these violent people who are trying to intimidate us under the guise of law enforcement and saying no matter what you do to me you can arrest me or not I am going to document your illegal actions. Because if there is no accountability today there will be accountability tomorrow.”

The immigrant rights movement continues to grow with each march, vigil and act of solidarity. As MIRAC continues to fight back against ICE in the streets, the group is also building for their 20th annual march on May 1 for International Worker’s Day, which they expect to be their biggest march yet. The movement to protect our immigrant brothers and sisters is growing, and justice will be won!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #ICE #MIRAC #TCC4J #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – At about 10 a.m. on January 7, ICE agents swarmed Portland Avenue and 34th Street, preparing for an operation despite Minneapolis’ new stronger separation ordinance. An observer was sitting in her car when ICE agents swarmed her while yelling aggressively. One agent came to the front of her car with his gun, and shot her in the head through her windshield, killing her. The victim has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother.

Observers were on the scene and witnessed the murder and continued to stay as a massive amount of agents swarmed in. HSI, ICE, FBI and ERO were on the scene as well as the Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County Sheriffs. Gregory Bovino, the senior official of US Border Patrol, was present as well.

Since the morning of January 7, there has been an ongoing presence at 34th and Portland, including a press conference led by the Council on American Islamic Affairs (CAIR) and an evening rally and vigil led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC.

Over 10,000 people attended MIRAC’s protest to honor Good. Opponents of police violence and their organizations were in high attendance, such as Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, BLM Twin Cities, and more. Indigenous community leaders with the American Indian Movement and Indigenous Protectors Movement opened the program with music.

“ICE agents do not get to come into our city and murder community members who are out here trying to keep our communities safe!” says MIRAC member Montana Hirsch, adding that Good, “did nothing wrong. We stand by her and we will fight for justice. The people are not going anywhere. ICE out of Minnesota!”

Many cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Detroit, Jacksonville and more plan to have emergency actions and protests in response to Good’s murder through January 11, as part of the Legalization for All Network’s call to action. Cities throughout the country, regardless of past occupation with ICE and National Guard or not, are ready to continue protesting and letting ICE know they are not welcome anywhere.

MIRAC’s next protest is Saturday, January 10 at 1 p.m. at the northwest corner of Powderhorn Park (10th Avenue and 32nd Street, Minneapolis) to demand ICE out of Minnesota and to hold Minneapolis leaders accountable to uphold the separation ordinance. Killer ICE off our streets!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #KillerICE #ReneeGood #MIRAC