Minnesotans are being urged to shut their wallets, skip work, and keep kids home Friday in response to a sweeping federal immigration crackdown in the state. Labor unions, community groups, and faith leaders have called for an "economic blackout," the Guardian reports, to protest what they describe as an unprecedented influx of immigration agents—and to mourn 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. The Trump administration has sent roughly 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota in what it says is its largest enforcement push so far; more than 2,400 people have been arrested in recent weeks.
"This is just an outrageous acceleration and escalation of violence toward working-class people," said Kieran Knutson, president of Communications Workers of America Local 7250, one of several unions backing the action, along with Unite Here Local 17 and educators' unions in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Organizers say union members have been detained on their commutes, families are being split up, and parents are keeping children out of school out of fear. They're hoping the blackout—and a downtown Minneapolis march and rally at 2pm—will pressure Minnesota-based corporations like Target, Best Buy, UnitedHealth Group, and General Mills to publicly respond.
While the state is suing to end the operation, "the employer class remains silent," says Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation. Asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security blasted those willing to "shut down Minnesota's economy ... to fight for illegal alien murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, drug dealers, and terrorists." DHS also repeated its claim that Good "weaponized" her car before she was shot, an account disputed by witnesses and seemingly at odds with video evidence. This comes as AFL-CIO, America's largest network of labor unions representing 15 million workers, says ICE is "putting innocent working people in danger," per Business Insider.
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