Protesters across the United States staged coordinated actions Friday, calling for a nationwide “no work, no school, no shopping” strike to oppose recent federal immigration enforcement. The protests follow two fatal encounters involving federal agents, including the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol during an operation.
Organisers and supporters held demonstrations at city centres, statehouses and churches, while some schools and businesses closed in anticipation of mass absences and walkouts.
What happened on Friday
In the Twin Cities region, several hundred people gathered in below-zero temperatures outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a site of repeated protests in recent weeks. Clergy members addressed the crowd before demonstrators marched toward a restricted area of the facility, shouting at a line of Department of Homeland Security agents to "quit your jobs" and "get out of Minnesota." Local police warned demonstrators blocking a road that they faced arrest, and much of the crowd later dispersed.
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.
organisers' social media
Demonstrations were not limited to Minnesota. Students in Michigan walked out of classes, and gatherings formed in New York, Maine and other states. Some school boards preemptively cancelled classes in Arizona, Colorado and elsewhere, citing expected mass absences.
Voices from the protests
Participants described encounters with federal agents in their communities and a broader sense of urgency about enforcement tactics. Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker from Minnetonka, said she attended after seeing federal agents stop immigrants at a bus stop near her home.
They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools. Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.
Michelle Pasko
At Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit, dozens of students walked about a mile to a nearby business district in subzero temperatures. The students received support from passing commuters.
We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota. It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.
Logan Albritton, 17, Groves High School
Schools, businesses and local officials respond
Some businesses closed for the day as part of the “blackout.” Others stayed open and committed to donating proceeds to immigrant support organisations. Otway Restaurant and Otway Bakery in New York said on social media that the bakery would remain open and that 50 percent of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition.
As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday.
Otway Restaurant social media post
In Portland, Maine, people gathered outside a church holding signs reading “No ICE for ME.” The gathering came after U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said ICE was ending its surge in that state.
Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family.
Grace Valenzuela, Portland Public Schools administrator
Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion
Scope and next steps
Organisers planned actions at statehouses and churches in addition to city squares and federal buildings. The strike aimed to draw national attention to enforcement practices by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol following the recent deaths that protesters say reflect an escalation in tactics.
Reporting on the protests included contributions from multiple Associated Press staff across the country. Local officials in several jurisdictions warned of potential arrests where demonstrations blocked roads or violated restrictions.
Friday’s actions reflected a coordinated effort to translate outrage into organised disruption and public pressure. Organisers said they would continue to plan demonstrations and legal support for affected community members.
