This weekend's series of protests were inspired by demonstrations in the Minnesota and fueled by outrage over recent fatal shootings by federal agents.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Demonstrators elicited honks from drivers passing them on Vine Street during last October's No Kings protest in Urbana. No local demonstrations are planned for this weekend's two protest over the recent deaths of Alex Pretti, Renée Good, Silverio Villegas González and Keith Porter Jr. perpetrated by ICE agents.
URBANA - A wave of coordinated protests will sweep across the country this week as organizers push for a nationwide shutdown Friday, followed by demonstrations at federal facilities Saturday. The twin actions, organized by a coalition of immigrant rights groups, labor organizations and student associations is calling for a nationwide protest this week, aim to challenge immigration enforcement practices following the fatal shootings of four people by federal agents in Minneapolis. Urging people to walk out of work and school and halt consumer spending as part of a coordinated challenge to federal immigration enforcement, a “National Shutdown,” is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, and calls for “no school, no work and no shopping,” according to organizers. A second day of demonstrations is planned for Saturday, Jan. 31, when protesters are expected to gather outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, ICE field offices, congressional offices and businesses connected to immigration enforcement under the banner “ICE Out of Everywhere.”
Organizers say the protests were inspired by demonstrations in the Twin Cities and fueled by outrage over recent fatal shootings involving federal agents, including the deaths of Alex Pretti, Renée Good, Silverio Villegas González and Keith Porter Jr. Protest leaders argue those incidents highlight what they describe as increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and a broader erosion of civil liberties.
“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country,” organizers wrote on the NationalShutdown.us website. “To stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to shut it down.”
Organizers framed the moment as a turning point. Calls for participation have spread across social media and online forums, including local subreddits promoting solidarity actions and encouraging residents to refrain from work, school and shopping on Friday. In one post shared on a California-based forum, participants cited Pretti as a “union brother” and described the planned shutdown as a response to what they called government overreach.
Nearly two dozen organizations have formally endorsed the National Shutdown, including the Somali Student Association, Ethiopian Student Association and Black Student Union at the University of Minnesota, the Graduate Labor Union at the University of Minnesota, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, IFCO Pastors for Peace and the ANSWER Coalition. Organizers say hundreds of additional groups, including state and local chapters of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, student organizations and faith-based groups, have expressed support.
The people of Minneapolis "have shown the way for the whole country," according to the NationalShutdown.us website, adding that to halt what they describe as "ICE's reign of terror," Americans must "shut it down."
On Saturday, the advocacy group 50501 is coordinating the “ICE Out of Everywhere” national day of action, which aims to pressure lawmakers to block Department of Homeland Security funding and pursue legislation to dismantle ICE and DHS. The group is also urging local businesses, hotels and service providers to refuse service to ICE, Customs and Border Protection and DHS agents, and is calling for boycotts of hotels that house federal immigration personnel during enforcement operations.
“Elected officials need to publicly take a stand,” 50501 said in a statement, calling for legislation that would permanently remove ICE from communities and reduce federal funding for immigration enforcement agencies.
Organizers say details about local demonstrations and participation opportunities are available at NationalShutdown.us, with additional resources for Saturday’s actions provided through the “ICE Out of Everywhere” campaign.
