Minnesota economic blackout: List of stores closed today, schedule of events, where to donate as anti-ICE protest kicks off

Minnesota continues to be the beating heart of nationwide anti-ICE movements with The Day of Truth and Freedom.

Today, January 23, hundreds of businesses across the state are closing their doors in protest after community groups, faith-based organizations and unions came together to call for an “economic blackout.” 

“Minnesotans are coming together in moral reflection and action to stand together against the actions of the federal government against the state of Minnesota,” a declaration reads on the organizing website, ICE Out of MN.

The day-long protest follows a series of tragedies that stem from the Department of Homeland Security’s January 6 deployment of 2,000 officers to Minneapolis. One day later, an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good and, just this past Tuesday, ICE detained five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father in their driveway. The family has an active asylum case and had no order of deportation, yet the father and son are now in a Texas detention center. 

What is the Day of Truth and Freedom?

ICE Out of MN’s statement continues: “The ICE ‘surge’ that cost the life of Renee Nicole Good is violating the Constitutional and human rights of Americans and our neighbors. It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents and call for Congress to immediately intervene.”

Participants in the Day of Truth and Freedom have four demands:

• ICE must leave Minnesota now.
• The officer who killed Renee Good must be held legally accountable.
• No additional federal funding for ICE in the upcoming Congressional budget and ICE should be investigated for human and Constitutional violations of Americans and our neighbors.
• We call upon Minnesota and National Companies to become 4th Amendment businesses, cease economic relations with ICE and refuse ICE entry or using their property for staging grounds. 

Minnesota-based publication, Bring Me The News, has an ever-evolving list of all the businesses—from bookstores to cafes—that are closed on Friday. It also includes businesses that will remain open but are taking action, such as donating some or all of their profits to organizations like the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and the recently launched Immigrant Rapid Response Fund. 

How individuals are participating in the Minnesota economic blackout

Organizers are further calling for individuals living in Minnesota to not work (unless involved in emergency services), go to school, or do any shopping for the day, instead focusing on “community, conscience, and collective action.”

The Day of Truth and Freedom also includes a march at 2PM CT from the Commons downtown and a 3PM CT rally at the Target Center. Interested participants can reserve a free rally ticket on the ICE Out of MN website. 

Anyone who lives outside of Minnesota can take part in solidarity through a scheduled event or organizing one. The ICE Out for Good website hosts a growing database of events taking place, provides a space to create an event, and has an event planning toolkit. 

ICE Out for Good also encourages individuals to push businesses to speak out against ICE, such as Minneapolis-based Target, Delta, Home Depot, and more. It offers links to contact these businesses, alongside ones to reach members of Congress. 

Organizations that support anti-ICE activism

The Day of Truth and Freedom movement isn’t specifically asking for donations, but anyone who is included to support the cause can donate to organizations such as: 

• Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
• Immigrant Rapid Response Fund
• National Immigrant Justice Center
• American Civil Liberties Union
• Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee 
• Organized Communities Against Deportations
• Amica Center for Immigrant Rights 

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