• Roughly 100 faith leaders were arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during a clergy-led demonstration against deportation flights
• More than 700 businesses statewide closed in solidarity with the “ICE Out of Minnesota” day of action
• Daily protests have erupted since Jan. 7 when ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good

MINNEAPOLIS (TDR) — Police arrested approximately 100 clergy members demonstrating against immigration enforcement at Minnesota’s largest airport Friday, organizers estimated, as thousands gathered in downtown Minneapolis to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown despite Arctic temperatures plunging below zero. The arrests came as part of a broader “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom” movement that shuttered hundreds of businesses and kept workers home across the Twin Cities.

Friday’s protests represent the most coordinated resistance yet to President Donald Trump’s immigration surge in Minnesota, where federal agents have conducted aggressive enforcement operations since December. Labor unions, progressive organizations and faith leaders urged Minnesotans to stay away from work, school and shops in Minneapolis and St. Paul, creating what organizers described as a general strike against immigration policies they call “immoral.”

Airport Arrests Highlight Growing Resistance

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The clergy arrests at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport occurred after protesters exceeded their permit boundaries, according to Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Jeff Lea. The faith leaders, who sang hymns and prayed while kneeling on airport roads, were calling on airlines—particularly Delta and Signature Aviation—to “stand with Minnesotans” and demand ICE end its state operations.

“Roughly 100 clergy were arrested,” said Trevor Cochlin of Faith in Minnesota, a progressive advocacy group that helped organize the demonstration. “They gathered in peaceful, prayerful resistance to demand airlines stand with Minnesotans.”

Video footage showed officers from multiple jurisdictions, including Eden Prairie and Maple Grove police, loading zip-tied protesters onto yellow school buses. Authorities issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer before releasing those detained. Airport officials emphasized that airline operations were not disrupted, though they acknowledged protesters went “beyond the agreed-upon terms” of their demonstration permit.

The airport protest targeted what organizers say is airlines’ complicity in deportations. Faith in Minnesota claims an estimated 2,000 people have been deported through the airport, though federal officials have not confirmed that figure.

Subzero Temperatures Fail to Deter Mass Mobilization

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Despite temperatures hitting minus 12 degrees with wind chills reaching minus 28, thousands converged on downtown Minneapolis for an afternoon rally at U.S. Bank Stadium. The scene demonstrated the depth of opposition to federal immigration operations that have intensified since a fatal shooting earlier this month.

“What’s happening here is clearly immoral,” said the Rev. Elizabeth Barish Browne, a Unitarian Universalist minister who traveled from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to participate. “It’s definitely chilly, but the kind of ice that’s dangerous to us is not the weather.”

The protests have become a daily occurrence in the Twin Cities since Jan. 7, when ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Federal officials claimed Good was impeding officers during an operation, but the shooting sparked sustained community outrage and intensified scrutiny of enforcement tactics.

Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis on Thursday to meet with ICE officials, blaming local authorities’ lack of cooperation for necessitating such a robust federal presence. His visit came the same day that Attorney General Pam Bondi announced arrests of three people involved in a St. Paul church protest that disrupted services at a church where an ICE official serves as pastor.

Economic Solidarity Spans State

The scope of Friday’s economic protest extended far beyond the airport and downtown Minneapolis. Organizers reported that more than 700 businesses statewide closed in solidarity, from a bookstore in Grand Marais near the Canadian border to the landmark Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Major arts institutions including the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Art also suspended operations.

“We’re achieving something historic,” said Kate Havelin of Indivisible Twin Cities, one of more than 100 participating groups. “Minnesotans understand that when we’re in a snow emergency, we all have to respond differently. What’s happening with ICE in our community means we can’t respond as business as usual.”

The economic impact was particularly acute in Minnesota’s Somali community, where businesses reported significant sales losses as workers and customers stayed home fearing detention. Union representatives also noted that 12 airport workers have been arrested by ICE in recent weeks, adding economic anxiety to community safety concerns.

Administration Defends Operations Amid Optics Concerns

The Trump administration has deployed more than 3,000 federal immigration personnel to Minnesota since December in what it calls “Operation Metro Surge.” According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers have apprehended over 3,000 undocumented immigrants in the past six weeks.

“Our operations are lawful, targeted and focused,” said Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who has led the crackdown. “They’re not random and they’re not political. They’re about removing criminals who are actively harming Minneapolis neighborhoods.”

However, CNN reported that President Trump has privately expressed frustration that the immigration messaging is getting lost amid protests and controversial arrests, including the detention of a 5-year-old child and his father—both asylum seekers—outside their Minneapolis home. The father and son were transferred to a Texas detention facility while the child’s pregnant mother remained in Minnesota.

A recent CNN poll found Americans believe ICE enforcement actions are making cities less safe by a 51% to 31% margin, with 18% seeing little effect. The administration has responded by emphasizing criminal arrests while officials privately discuss how to “move the narrative away from the unrest in Minneapolis.”

The White House has also subpoenaed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a vocal critic of the enforcement surge, in an investigation of possible obstruction of justice. President Trump called Frey “a fool” on social media earlier this month for supporting the city’s Somali community.

With temperatures dropping and tensions rising, will the administration recalibrate its approach—or will Minnesota become the flashpoint for a broader national confrontation over immigration enforcement?

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