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News and Views from the People's Struggle

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By staff

Protest at Edina, Minnesota school board meeting to protest the suspension of pro-Palestine students. | Fight Back! News/Brad Sigal

Edina, MN – On the evening of Monday, December 11, 300 community members gathered for a rally outside the Edina School Board meeting at the Edina Community Center, denouncing the suspension of Muslim Somali students who led a pro-Palestine protest on October 26.

The school issued false claims of antisemitism against the students for using the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during a walkout protesting the ongoing genocide by the Israeli apartheid state. “From the river to the sea” is a call for Palestinian liberation from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It is not antisemitic to oppose apartheid and genocide. Monday’s protest began with that same chant.

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By Sophie Breen

Minneapolis protest against Biden's support of border wall

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 protesters took the street Sunday afternoon, October 29, in response to the Biden administration’s recently-announced plan to waive 26 federal laws in order to extend the border wall further into southern Texas. Several organizations joined together to protest the “Trump-like” policies in response to immigration.

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By Meredith Aby

Protest for Palestine at the office of Representative McCollum. | Sigal Photos/Brad Sigal

St. Paul, MN – The MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) called on its supporters in the anti-war movement, the Muslim community and the Palestinian community on to protest Representative Betty McCullom for her recent support for Israel’s war on Palestine.

Twelve protesters, aged 14 to 84, entered her office October 25 and refused to leave until they got to speak to the representative about her silence on the loss of Palestinian lives. Meanwhile, 1000 people rallied outside the representative’s office.

Historically, the anti-war movement has seen Representative McCollum as an important congressional ally for her introduction of the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, which would have prohibited Israel from using U.S. taxpayer dollars for “the military detention, abuse, or ill treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or any assistance or support for unilateral annexation of Palestinian lands in violation of international humanitarian law.”

On Sunday, October 22, over 400 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes in one day. McCollum’s own constituents are concerned about her silence on the incredible loss of Palestinian lives.

Members of the AWC, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) met with her Saint Paul staff in person and later with her chief of staff over the phone. The demonstrators demanded to meet with McCollum, but staffers insisted she couldn’t come to the phone because she was on the House floor. The activists later discovered, while still occupying McCollum's office, that while they were waiting to meet with her, she was busy voting in favor of House Resolution 771, which supported Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

Drake Myers, an activist with the Anti-War Committee, participated in the sit-in and said, “As Palestine solidarity organizers we are well aware that Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ – especially at this stage – is code for total U.S. support for the genocide of Gazans. Israel is fundamentally not defending itself; it was founded on the murder and displacement of indigenous Palestinians in 1948 and is widely recognized as an apartheid state. It is beyond shameful that McCollum, who has been a consistent voice opposing Israeli war crimes and supporting Palestinian self-determination, has made a total betrayal: voting for this resolution, issuing statements condemning the Palestinian resistance, and arresting Palestine solidarity activists instead of meeting with us in good faith.”

Andrew Josefchak, also a member of the Anti-War Committee, states, “After casting this disgusting vote, Betty McCollum had the audacity to say that Israel must constrain itself to a 'proportional response.' Israel has already cut Gaza off from water, food, fuel and electricity. Israel has already killed at least 7000 Palestinians. Israel has already demolished hospitals, schools and entire apartment blocks. Israeli politicians have called for a 'new Nakba.' For McCollum to say 'Israel’s response must be proportional and consider the innocent Palestinian lives at stake in Gaza' at this point is ridiculous. Israel's actions are genocidal.”

Protesters refused to leave until McCollum promised to vote no on Biden's proposed $14 billion in military aid to Israel and to release a statement calling for the immediate cessation of the Israeli bombing and siege of Gaza and for no ground invasion.

The sit-in began at 1:30 p.m. and continued until 10:30 p.m. All 12 people were arrested and charged with trespassing.

#StPaulMN #Palestine #AntiWar #AWCMN #WAMM #MIRAC

By staff

LA protest demands an end to attacks on immigrants. | Fight Back! News staff

Los Angeles, CA – 30 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza in LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, September 15, to demand Texas Governor Greg Abbott comply with the federal judge-ordered removal of buoys at the Río Grande/Rio Bravo. Chanting “Abbott is a liar, remove the racist wire!” and “¿Qué es lo que queremos? ¡Legalización! ¿Cuando? ¡Ahora!” supporters and speakers gathered as part of the week of action called by the Legalization for All (L4A) Network in conjunction with activists in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the buoys were dumped into the river.

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By Sol Márquez

Valeria Wheeler, the executive director of Mission: Border Hope.  | Eagle Pass Border Coalition

By Sol Márquez and Brad Sigal

Eagle Pass, TX – The Eagle Pass Border Coalition, located on the Rio Grande at the U.S.-México border, teamed up with local partners and with the Legalization for All (L4A) Network to kick off nationwide events with a press conference September 11, at Mission Border Hope in Eagle Pass.

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By staff

Minneapolis protest defends immigrant rights

Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of August 10, 30 immigrant rights supporters gathered for a rally and noise demonstration at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis as a response to this summer’s many atrocities and attacks on immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, new anti-immigrant laws in states like Florida, and increased border militarization in general.

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By Montana Hirsch

Protest in support of DACA Outside Minnesota Twins Game

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, August 28, dozens of protesters gathered with signs, noisemakers and flyers across the street from Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The demonstration was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and is also part of a national call to action for DACA by the Legalization for All Network, coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles, California.

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By Montana Hirsch

March in St Paul, MN against anti Asian violence

Saint Paul, MN – On the afternoon of April 2, about 50 people gathered for a protest in Saint Paul’s Frogtown area to “Stand up against hate” and demand justice for Asian people who have been targeted in hate crimes, discrimination and violence.

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By Akhi Menawat

Immigrant rights protest turns up the heat on Biden Administration.

Minneapolis, MN – On January 23, protesters marched in freezing temperatures to bring attention to the Biden administration’s inhumane immigration policies. The march, organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), took place in a neighborhood with many immigrant families and received significant support from onlookers as protesters chanted about closing the camps, abolishing ICE, and supporting legalization for all. The protesters demanded that Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress take immediate action to reverse all Trump-era anti-immigrant policies and act on their campaign promises to support immigrant families.

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By Montana Hirsch

Minneapolis protest demands asylum for Haitian immigrants.

Minneapolis, MN – On November 14, about 30 people gathered at Mayday Plaza on a cold day with signs and banners to demand asylum for Haitian immigrants. The action was planned by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) to demand legalization for all, this time with a focus on the recent blatant abuses of Haitian immigrants at the hands of Border Patrol agents on horseback at the Texas border as well as the recent upsurge in deportations of Haitian immigrants under Biden. It was endorsed by the Anti-War Committee (AWC), the Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota, and Filipinx for Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice Minnesota (FIRM). Protesters held banners and signs demanding, “Legalization for all!” “No militarized border!” “Asylum for Haitians” and “End abuse of Haitian migrants.” The group chanted and waved to cars that honked in support as they drove by.

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By staff

Minnesota protest demands and end to cooperation with ICE.

Minneapolis, MN – There have been some recent advances in the campaign to end cooperation between the largest county in Minnesota, Hennepin County, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The campaign has been organized by the Decriminalizing Communities Coalition, which brings together several local immigrant rights and social justice organizations.

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By Brad Sigal

Minnesota protest demands an end to war on immigrants.

Saint Paul, MN – On March 20, around 60 people protested outside the Whipple Federal Building, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to demand an end to the war on immigrants. The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) to mark two months since President Biden was inaugurated.

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By Akhi Menawat

Minneapolis protest demands legalization for all.

Minneapolis, MN – Around 100 people marched through downtown Minneapolis, October 14, from Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to the Hennepin County Jail. The march was part of an ongoing campaign by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) demanding legalization for all immigrants including those eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status. More than a million immigrants that hold these statuses are in increasing danger of deportation because of recent court rulings that open the door to the Trump administration carrying out mass deportations.

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By Akhi Menawat

Minnesota protest demands clean Dream Act and legalization for all.

Saint Paul, MN – Hundreds marched through the West Side of Saint Paul from Castillo Park to Senator Tina Smith’s office on August 29 demanding the Senate take immediate action towards legalization for all residents. The march was part of an ongoing campaign by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) demanding legalization for all immigrants eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), TPS (Temporary Protective Status), and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status.

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By Brad Sigal

Saint Paul, MN – At the State Board of Investments (SBI) meeting on August 26, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) member Mari Mansfield spoke out, demanding that Minnesota divest its funds from the border militarization corporation Elbit Systems.

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By Brad Sigal

Minneapolis protest demands justice for women lost to state violence.

Minneapolis, MN – On July 18, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to demand justice for women lost to state violence. Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the protest focused on Vanessa Guillen and Breonna Taylor. The dual focus on Vanessa Guillen, who was Latina, and Breonna Taylor, who was Black, aimed to build unity between Black and Latino communities as well as other communities in the struggle for justice.

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By Montana Hirsch

Minneapolis protest demands justice

Minneapolis, MN – On July 4, more than 200 protesters took the streets on wheels for a new type of march calling for an end to a fundamentally racist criminal justice system and “#Justice4All.” Protesters were on bikes, rollerblades, roller skates, skateboards, as well as in a car caravan as they rolled through various neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The protest was organized by Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) along with co-hosts Native Lives Matter, CAIR-Minnesota, LatinoAltRock, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles. Messaging included slogans such as: “Abolish ICE,” “Prosecute the police,” and linking the struggles with: “The whole damn system is guilty as hell.”

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By Brad Sigal

Vigil honors Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia who died of COVID-19 in ICE detention

Minneapolis, MN – After dark on Monday, May 11, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a candlelight vigil at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse to remember Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia. He is the first person reported to die of COVID-19 while in jail detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The speakers at the vigil called on people to remember Carlos and called on government officials to free all ICE detainees.

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By Brad Sigal

Immigrant rights activists at Sherburne County commissioners' meeting

Elk River, MN – Immigrant rights activists mobilized to the Sherburne County commissioners' meeting at 9:00 in the morning Tuesday, December 3 in Elk River, a town of around 20,000 people an hour northwest of Minneapolis. They held signs throughout the meeting, and several of them spoke passionately during the public comment section of the agenda, appealing to the commissioners to stop participating in and profiting from immigrant detention in the Sherburne County Jail.

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By staff

Thousands march in Minneapolis against Trump's attacks on immigrants and Muslims

Minneapolis, MN – On June 30, 4000 people marched in South Minneapolis to stand with immigrants and Muslims who are under attack by the Trump administration.

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