Minneapolis: Day of Truth and Freedom Kicks Off With Road Blockade at the Airport and 100 Arrested - Left Voice
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The economic blockade in Minneapolis began early Friday morning with a roadblock at the city's airport organized by activists and religious organizations in solidarity with immigrants. 100 protesters were arrested.

Minneapolis woke up absolutely empty this Friday 23. Along with sub-zero temperatures, thousands of workers that did not show up to work and hundreds of businesses were shut down in solidarity with immigrants. People across the Twin Cities are demanding justice for Renee Good and the immediate withdrawal of ICE. Later today, union members, activists, teachers, students, neighbors, and political organizations will gather to protest all together against Trump’s new Gestapo.

Very early in the morning about 100 faith leaders, joined by workers and community organizations, blocked the road outside Terminal 1 at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. While they were arrested, they shouted, “before this campaign fails, we’ll all go down to jail, everybody has a right to live.” Protesters were holding signs that showed members of United Here Local 17 — a union with a majority immigrant labor force — who had been abducted by ICE.

Workers at the action sang, “We are here to tell corporations to stop being complicit with ICE.” Grassroots organizer Nick Benson told the progressive magazine In These Times, ​“This airport is the narrow end of the funnel where our neighbors are getting shipped off to God knows where. Yesterday, we hit our 2,000th estimated deportation this month.”

By noon, the crowd had grown, and hundreds of non-organized workers from Unite Here confronted the police when they started arresting community leaders and clergy. Protesters told press that the airport has served as a key site in Department of Homeland Security operations to carry out mass deportations.

The massive action at the airport wasn’t even the main protest taking place in Minneapolis today. The main march scheduled for 2pm Central Time has the possibility of convening protesters from across the city. Solidarity actions are being held across the country.

The fight that Minneapolis is waging should be taken up by the entire movement for immigrant rights. Labor should also escalate by organizing strike actions that use the full power of workers to shut everything down. With this spirit, immigrants and their allies across the country can build a movement capable of abolishing ICE and get justice for Renee Nicole Good and all those ICE has killed.

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