Jan. 23 'ICE Out of Minnesota' general strike: goals, tactics, and political backing
On Jan. 23 organizers are calling a nonviolent "ICE Out of Minnesota" general strike — a political work stoppage asking workers to stay home if they can, students to skip in‑person classes, consumers to avoid shopping except at immigrant‑owned or supporting businesses, and for immigrant‑serving restaurants, clergy and other businesses to close or modify operations — to protest Operation Metro Surge and recent ICE‑related shootings in Minneapolis. The action, tied to prior efforts like "Taco Tuesday" and student walkouts and framed around mutual aid and safety planning, has public backing from lawmakers including Reps. Jamie Long and Maria Isa Perez Vega, but organizers acknowledge participation will be uneven due to union rules, immigration status and financial constraints (and an extreme cold watch may further affect turnout).
📌 Key Facts
- Jan. 23 ICE Out of Minnesota is organized as a general strike / day of action asking people not to go to work, school, or shopping; organizers and reporters note a general strike here is a political work stoppage (not a union contract strike) and participation is voluntary with no legal requirement to join.
- Organizers' specific asks include: workers stay home if they can, students skip in-person classes, consumers avoid shopping except at immigrant-owned or supporting businesses, and businesses (including many immigrant-serving restaurants) close or modify operations for the day.
- Clergy and coalitions are calling for statewide participation as part of a broader week of coordinated actions that connect to prior efforts such as Taco Tuesday events, student walkouts, and Capitol rallies.
- Organizers frame the action as nonviolent civil resistance to Operation Metro Surge and recent ICE shootings in Minneapolis; they emphasize mutual aid, safety planning, and support for people who cannot safely miss work.
- Organizers and reporters caution participation will be uneven because of union contracts, immigration status, and financial constraints, but they say the strike can still have symbolic and economic impact even if the metro does not fully shut down.
- A group of Minnesota lawmakers, including Rep. Jamie Long and Rep. Maria Isa Perez Vega, have publicly endorsed and said they will participate; Long said he will join to experience the discomfort immigrants face, and Perez Vega described the strike as a pause to show communities deserve to live without fear and to highlight harms to families and the local economy.
- Forecasted weather: an Extreme Cold Watch is in effect for Jan. 23 with below-zero highs likely, which reporters note may help keep people home and affect participation levels.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuelan immigrants in the United States had a median household income of $64,000 in 2021, compared to $70,000 for all immigrant- and native-led households.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
From 2010 to 2023, the Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew by 318 percent, making it one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Immigrants in the United States commit crimes at lower rates than the U.S.-born population, according to multiple studies analyzing crime data.
Immigrants commit fewer crimes than citizens: Professor — NewsNation
In Minnesota, foreign-born workers accounted for nearly 60% of the state's total labor force and employment growth from 2019 to 2023.
Immigrants make up growing share of Minnesota's workforce — Sahan Journal
Deporting all 95,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota would result in a job loss of 8,000 U.S.-born workers and reduce the state's GDP by $5.4 billion.
The economic and fiscal impacts of mass deportation: what's at risk in Minnesota — Minnesota Budget Project
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota was launched to arrest criminal illegal aliens with extensive criminal histories, including convicted murderers, drug traffickers, and gang members.
DHS arrests illegal immigrant with 24 convictions in Minnesota ICE operation — Fox News
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Defines 'general strike' in this context as a political work stoppage, not a union contract strike, and notes there is no legal requirement to participate.
- Details organizers’ specific asks: workers to stay home if they can, students to skip in‑person classes, consumers to avoid shopping except at immigrant‑owned or supporting businesses, and businesses to close or modify operations for the day.
- Explains that the action is framed as nonviolent civil resistance to Operation Metro Surge and the ICE shootings in Minneapolis, with organizers emphasizing mutual aid and safety planning, including for those who cannot risk missing work.
- Clarifies that participation levels will likely be uneven, with union contracts, immigration status, and financial constraints limiting who can safely join, and that organizers still see symbolic and economic value even if the metro doesn’t fully shut down.
- A group of Minnesota lawmakers, including Rep. Jamie Long and Rep. Maria Isa Perez Vega, have publicly endorsed and will participate in the Jan. 23 general strike against ICE.
- Long says he will personally join the blackout to 'feel that discomfort' immigrants are living with and to understand what it’s like to be afraid to do basic things like going to work, school or the doctor.
- Perez Vega frames the strike as a 'pause' meant to send a message that communities deserve to live without fear and that current policies are terrorizing families and undermining the local economy.
- FOX 9 explicitly notes that an Extreme Cold Watch will be in effect on Jan. 23, with below‑zero highs likely helping to keep people home during the strike.
- Article gives practical 'what you need to know' framing for the Jan. 23 'ICE out of Minnesota' day of action, spelling out that organizers are asking people not to go to work, school or shopping.
- It reiterates that many immigrant‑serving restaurants and businesses plan to close and that clergy are calling for statewide participation, tying this to a broader week of coordinated actions.
- It connects the Jan. 23 shutdown explicitly to prior efforts like 'Taco Tuesday' to support immigrant‑owned restaurants and the series of student walkouts and Capitol rallies.