Minneapolis, United States. Student organizers called for walkouts and protests across the United States on Friday, demanding that federal immigration agents withdraw from Minnesota after two fatal shootings in Minneapolis sparked public outrage.
National day of protests linked to Minnesota operation
The planned national day of protest saw students and teachers walking out of schools from Arizona to Georgia. It came amid mixed messages from the Trump administration on the future of Operation Metro Surge, which has sent about 3,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area in an immigration crackdown.
Fatal shootings fuel outrage and calls for action
Federal agents fatally shot U.S. citizens Alex Pretti on Saturday and Renee Good on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis during the Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, according to the organizers. The shootings have fueled public outrage and calls for further protests.
March in Minneapolis neighborhood
In a Minneapolis neighborhood near the sites where Good and Pretti died, about 50 teachers and staff members from local schools marched on Friday. They held anti-ICE signs, used bullhorns and called for federal immigration officers to leave the city.
One teacher, who asked not to be identified, said the group was marching “to send a message to the rest of the country to organize and resist, because the aggressive invasion of federal officers may be coming for them next.”
Protests extend nationwide
Organizers promoted the day of action with the slogan “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE,” on the website nationalshutdown.org, which listed 250 protest sites across 46 states, including major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington.
Walkouts in Georgia and school closures in Colorado
In Georgia, students at 90 high schools from Atlanta to Savannah planned to walk out of class on Friday.
“We are saying no business as usual while ICE is allowed to terrorize our communities,” said Claudia Andrade, an immigrant-rights organizer with Atlanta’s Party for Socialism and Liberation.
In Aurora, Colorado, public schools closed on Friday due to large anticipated teacher and student absences. The Denver suburb was the target of intense immigration raids last year after President Donald Trump claimed it was a “war zone” overrun by Venezuelan gangs.
How do you think nationwide school walkouts will affect the debate over federal immigration enforcement?