Protest follows fatal Federal shootings
Activists across the United States are urging a nationwide “National Shutdown” on Friday, January 30, in response to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity and the deaths of four individuals shot by federal agents in Minnesota.
Organisers are calling on people to stay home from work and school and to avoid shopping, aiming to “stop funding ICE.” Online posts encourage Americans to join the movement, stating: “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country – to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN.”
Deaths spark nationwide outcry
The shutdown follows a string of high-profile incidents, including the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Organisers also cited the deaths of Renee Good, Silverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter Jr., arguing that they were killed while exercising their First Amendment right to protest mass deportation.
Widespread endorsement
University of Minnesota student groups, including the Somali Student Association, Ethiopian Student Association, Black Student Union, Liberian Student Association, and the Graduate Labor Union, have endorsed Friday’s shutdown.
Political organisation 50501, which has coordinated national protests since the Trump administration began, is also supporting the event. Prominent figures, including actors Pedro Pascal and Hannah Einbinder and rapper Macklemore, have promoted the shutdown on social media. Macklemore wrote: “No system built on violence has ever been undone by reform. It ends when people stop sustaining it. This is that moment.”
Businesses join the protest
Businesses across the U.S. are being encouraged to close for the day in solidarity. In Denver, award-winning restaurant Sap Sua announced a one-day closure, citing a civic duty to support vulnerable communities amid the federal actions.
Broader “No Kings” movement
This protest is part of a larger series of anti-authoritarian rallies dubbed “No Kings,” organised by multiple groups nationwide. Organisers plan the next major protest on March 28, anticipating millions of participants in response to Trump’s immigration policies in Minneapolis. Ezra Levin of Indivisible predicted turnout could reach nine million.
ICE operations in Minnesota and Maine
Meanwhile, federal authorities indicate a potential drawdown of ICE agents in Minnesota pending state cooperation. In Maine, Senator Susan Collins confirmed that large-scale ICE operations have ceased after more than 100 arrests during a recent enforcement surge.
Source: The Hill
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