Dozens of pastors were arrested at an anti-ICE protest near the Minneapolis airport
Listen to this article
Average 5 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Local police arrested a number of pastors who were singing church songs and praying on the road at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, as part of a day of protests Friday against US President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of immigration officers to the Twin Cities region.
The protest was part of the “ICE OUT!” work day, organizers and activists say dozens of businesses across Minnesota are closed for the day and workers are turning to street protests and marches in what they describe as a general strike.
The protest came after senior Trump administration officials asked to work with local Democratic leaders to ease tensions after weeks of violent clashes between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and protesters opposing Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Before the afternoon meeting in downtown Minneapolis in sweltering weather, hundreds of people headed to the state’s main airport.
Organizers say their demands include legal accountability for the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good, an American citizen, in her car this month while monitoring ICE operations.
Lots of arrests
Ignoring orders to wash the road with officers from local police departments, they arrested and detained dozens of protesters – who did not put up a fight – before putting them on buses.
Reuters has seen dozens of arrests, and organizers say around 100 pastors have been arrested.
Many businesses across Minnesota closed for the day Friday in what religious leaders and labor unions described as a general strike to protest US President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of immigration officers to the streets of Minneapolis.
Faith in Minnesota, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped organize the protest, said the pastors are also drawing attention to airport and airline workers who say they have been arrested by ICE on the job.
The group asked that the airlines “stand with Minnesotans in calling for ICE to immediately end its expansion into the state.”
Across the country, bars, restaurants and shops were closed for the day, according to organizers and participants. Many Minneapolis workers were heading downtown for the march and rally, which organizers intended to be the largest demonstration yet of the federal government’s crackdown, which Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats likened to an attack.
Miguel Hernandez, a community organizer who closed his business, Lito’s Bakery in Minneapolis, for the day, donned four layers, wool socks and a parka before heading out to protest.
“If it was another time, no one would have come out,” he said, looking at the weather.
“For us, it’s a message of solidarity with our community, that we see the pain and suffering that continues on the streets, and it’s a message to our politicians that they should do more than focus on issues.”
Trump’s actions are angering Minnesotans
Trump, a Republican, has launched a crackdown on Minnesota in part in response to allegations of fraud against members of the state’s large Somali community.
He called Somali immigrants “garbage” and said they would be removed from the country as part of his efforts to deport more immigrants – including asylum seekers and other legal citizens – than any of his predecessors.
The citizens of Minnesota responded with anger, making noise in the streets day and night with whistles and musical instruments.
Some agents and protesters shouted obscenities, and agents fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. The Trump administration said some protesters harassed agents and obstructed their work.
Top Trump administration officials traveled to Minneapolis to defend ICE, with US Vice President JD Vance telling reporters during his visit Thursday that the administration is “doing everything they can to lower the temperature.”
Patty O’Keefe, a 36-year-old non-profit activist, said she would be among those willing to join Friday’s march and “expose ourselves to show the level of anger and frustration we have.”
“We continue to be under siege by the federal government, and it feels like we need to do more because our traditional methods of protest and resistance have proven to be insufficient to send a strong message to Trump,” she said.
Minnesota’s Fortune 500 firms remain silent
Many of the Fortune 500 companies that call Minnesota home — many based in the Minneapolis area — don’t hold back on public statements about the immigration raids.
Minneapolis-based Target, which came under fire last year for backing away from its social commitment to diversity policies, has faced more criticism for not talking about labor in its stores. State lawmakers have pressed the company to provide information on its employee orientation if and when ICE officials show up at stores.
The company declined a request for comment.
Reuters also contacted Minnesota-based UnitedHealth, Medtronic, Abbott Laboratories, Best Buy, Hormel, General Mills, 3M and Fastenal.
Neither immediately responded to requests for comment.
