Thousands protest ICE in Minneapolis as hundreds of businesses close for economic blackout

On Jan. 23, 2026, thousands of protesters gathered in Minneapolis despite temperatures of -9°F (-23°C) to demand an end to ICE operations in 🦆Minnesota. Organizers expected around 50,000 attendees, though Reuters reported it couldn't independently verify the turnout. The protest was part of a statewide 'ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom' economic blackout where more than 700 businesses closed in solidarity. Around 18,000 tickets were offered for a 2 p.m. rally at Target Center, with organizers saying 15,647 tickets had been claimed by 10:45 a.m.

Around 100 clergy members were arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after singing hymns and praying on the road leading to the airport. The clergy were calling for Delta Air Lines and Signature Aviation to stop cooperating with deportation flights. They received misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer, then were released. The arrests were part of a coordinated civil disobedience action by faith leaders from across the country.

Episcopal BMBishop Mariann Budde traveled from 🏛️Washington, D.C. to participate in the Minneapolis protests. RSRabbi Sharon Kleinbaum also attended. RERev. Elizabeth Barish Browne traveled from Cheyenne, 🦬Wyoming to join the demonstration. These faith leaders organized protests demanding legal accountability for the ICE agent who shot Renee Good and called for the withdrawal of the 3,000 federal officers deployed to the Twin Cities area.

The economic blackout involved hundreds of businesses across 🦆Minnesota closing their doors for the day in protest of ICE operations. The coordinated business strike was designed to show the economic impact of immigrant communities and allies in the state. Organizers said the action demonstrated that immigrant workers and business owners are essential to Minnesota's economy and that ICE operations threaten economic stability.

Protesters called for the withdrawal of 3,000 federal officers who had been deployed to the Twin Cities area as part of Trump's immigration enforcement operations. The deployment included ICE agents, Border Patrol officers, and other federal law enforcement personnel. Community organizers said the massive federal presence was creating a climate of fear in immigrant neighborhoods and disrupting daily life for thousands of 🦆Minnesota families.

The protests came three days after the Jan. 20 detention of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and one day after VP Vance's Jan. 22 Minneapolis visit where he told officials to 'lower the temperature' by cooperating with ICE. Protesters rejected Vance's framing and argued that ICE operations themselves were escalating tensions. Faith leaders said they had a moral obligation to resist what they called 'immoral and inhumane' immigration enforcement tactics.

Delta Air Lines and Signature Aviation have contracts to provide aircraft and logistical support for ICE deportation flights. The clergy protesters specifically targeted these companies, demanding they end their participation in what protesters called 'family separation and human rights abuses.' The protesters' civil disobedience was designed to disrupt airport operations and draw attention to corporate complicity in deportation flights. Neither company had publicly responded to the protests by the end of Jan. 23.