There will be a general strike in Minnesota on January 23 against ICE.

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Minnesota workers have called for January 23 to be declared a general strike day. The promotion is designed as a day with the formula “no work, no study, no shopping.” Activists explain this as an attempt to consciously suspend work, consumption and the usual rhythm of life. According to the left-wing media Left Voice, this is not just a local protest: trade union organizations across the country are calling for solidarity and joining the strike.

This call is directly linked to the murder of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is the US federal immigration service and with continued increased federal pressure on migrant communities.

What will they strike against?

The initiative was called the “Day of Truth and Freedom.” It was first announced on January 13 at a press conference where religious and social activist Janae Bates Imari spoke. According to her , the authorities deliberately spread lies about migrant communities in order to justify the actions of federal security forces: detentions right at workplaces, beatings and deportation of people to an unknown destination. “These are not rumors - we see this every day,” she emphasized.

Hours after the murder of Renee Nicole Goode by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly accused the victim of “domestic terrorism.” Vice President J.D. Vance and President Donald Trump quickly joined the smear campaign. Amid growing protests, additional ICE units have been deployed to Minnesota.

Although the organizer:ki avoids the word “strike,” Left Voice directly calls what is happening a de facto call for a general strike in the state. The initiative has already been supported by trade unions in St. Paul Federation of Educators St. Paul Federation of Educators is a labor union for educators in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bringing together teachers, school staff and education staff , Unite Here Local 17 Unite Here Local 17 is the local chapter of the Unite Here union in Minnesota. Unites workers in the service sector - hotels, restaurants, catering, canteens and cleaning , SEIU Local 26 SEIU Local 26 is the Minnesota regional chapter of Service Employees International Union. Unites cleaning workers, building maintenance workers, security workers and other service workers, a significant part of which are migrants and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 (ATU 1005) is the local branch of the public transit union in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area (Twin Cities). Unites bus and train drivers, depot workers, technical checks and dispatchers at Metro Transit , as well as religious and public organizations.

A key demand of the protest is the withdrawal of ICE from Minnesota cities and a ban on the use of methods that protesters consider overtly oppressive. We are talking about raids at schools and workplaces, street arrests, arbitrary arrests and the use of force in residential areas. Organizers say ICE officers are increasingly operating unmarked, invading people's daily lives and taking them away without explanation, intimidating entire neighborhoods. These actions effectively replace the courts and due process, turning federal ICE operations into a tool for extrajudicial pressure on migrant communities.

That is why the formula “no work, no study, no shopping” was conceived as a way to strike at the economic routine and force the authorities to reckon with what was happening - without a direct violent clash with the state apparatus.

Will they support it in other US cities?

The initiative was intended to be national from the start, and the most notable response outside of Minnesota came from activists in New York. Solidarity events directly related to the Minnesota protests are planned there on January 23. The city is preparing a rally and major action against corporations that cooperate with ICE or profit from its activities, including Amazon, Palantir and Home Depot. The United Federation of Teachers is already participating in organizing the events The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is the largest education union in New York. Unites teachers of public schools, teachers of colleges and universities, as well as other workers in the field of education. Member of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) , PSC-CUNY PSC-CUNY (Professional Staff Congress - City University of New York) is the union of workers at the City University of New York (CUNY). Unites teachers, researchers, administrators and other employees of the university system , Teamsters The Teamsters (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) is one of the largest and oldest labor unions in the United States. Unites workers in transport, logistics, warehouses, delivery, industry, as well as parts of the service sector and the public sector. Historically, the union has played a key role in the development of the labor movement in the United States, including large strikes and campaigns for collective bargaining , SEIU Locals 1199 SEIU Local 1199 unites healthcare workers: nurses, sanitation workers, technical and support staff of hospitals, clinics and nursing homes and 32BJ SEIU Local 32BJ represents building maintenance workers and city infrastructure workers - janitors, security guards, cleaning staff, office and residential building maintenance workers. It is one of the most powerful unions in New York , UAW Region 9A UAW Region 9A is a regional division of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union covering New York City and parts of the northeastern United States. Region 9A brings together workers in the auto, manufacturing, warehouse, university and service industries , Democratic Socialists of America Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States, uniting tens of thousands of members. Supports trade unions, opposes wars and government repression, including the activities of ICE , Hands Off Hands Off is a network of activist groups and initiatives opposing state and federal repression. Participates in migrant solidarity actions, protests against ICE, and mobilizations for civil rights and other associations; High school and undergraduate students are also expected to participate.

New York is seen as a key point of this mobilization. This is one of the largest "cities of refuge" Sanctuary cities are US cities and states where local authorities do not cooperate with ICE: police and municipal structures do not participate in raids, do not transfer information about residents, and do not detain people at the request of immigration authorities without a court order. The goal of such policies is to protect migrants from deportation and give them access to jobs, education and basic services without fear of persecution in the United States and is an important focal point for labor union and migrant movements. Support from there is perceived not only as a gesture of solidarity, but also as a potentially strategic factor: the city has large trade unions, transport infrastructure and university campuses that could give the protests a national scale.

Solidarity actions have been announced in other cities, from Los Angeles to Detroit and Chicago.

ICE and the Far Right

Under the Trump administration, ICE has been purposefully strengthened and restructured, turning the agency into an instrument of brutal coercive pressure. In 2025, the agency received a sharp increase in funding under the One Beautiful Bill: $75 billion over four years—nearly triple its previous annual budget.

During the same year, ICE staffing more than doubled. The expansion was achieved through aggressive recruitment, accelerated training and minimal candidate screening. According to the authors of Left Voice, ICE recruiting campaigns deliberately targeted the far-right environment. They used rhetoric and visual language familiar to far-right communities, including supporters of the Proud Boys, Patriot Front and other neo-Nazi and racist groups.

As a result, ICE has become a paramilitary force of more than 22 thousand people, personally oriented towards Donald Trump and regularly operating on the edge of the law.

Context

In early January, the US army launched strikes in Venezuela and removed President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores from the country - this was presented as the first step of the so-called "Donro Doctrine". Protests against this were already brewing across the country even before legal observer Renee Goode was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.

After her murder on January 10 and 11, a wave of street protests swept across the United States. After several days of continuous mobilization in Minneapolis itself, protests took place in Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, Lansing, Chicago, Houston, Austin, Washington, Portland, New York and other cities - almost a thousand localities in total.

There were two main demands at these protests: an end to ICE raids in so-called “sanctuary cities” and a stop to US military intervention in Venezuela and South America in general.

What do activists think?

In a conversation with DOXA, Left Voice activist Samuel Carlin, now in Minneapolis, says that the situation with ICE in the city has reached a critical point: “We are talking about mass attacks on people - racial profiling, targeting children and families. They actually act as a brutal paramilitary organization serving the interests of the far-right administration. The goal is to use violence to suppress protests of solidarity with migrants and carry out mass deportations, primarily targeting the Somali community of Minneapolis, one of the largest migrant communities in the city. Of course, Latin American migrants are also under attack.”

According to him, it was the murder of activist Renee Nicole Goode that was the turning point: “It provoked mass resistance. Renee Nicole Goode was an activist and essentially served as a legal observer - she monitored ICE activities to protect people's right to protest. ICE killed her by shooting her in the face. Since then, protests have practically not stopped in Minneapolis - for about two weeks.”

Carlin notes that “teachers have become very involved in advocating for students. Now unions across Minnesota have actually backed the call for a “no work, no school, no shopping” day on January 23rd. Important unions have said they will support their members if they decide to join, although union leadership as a whole has made no formal commitment to going on strike. The Chicago teachers union was one of the first to say it would protect schools and prevent ICE from being present. Escort networks for students and migrant workers are being created to reduce the risk of detention. In Minneapolis, rank-and-file teachers are protesting, speaking up and becoming the voice of their students, many of whom are afraid to go to school.”

He clarifies that “the support from rank and file workers is very strong, so even without an official call for a strike, trade unions are taking up this call. For example, ATU Local 1005, a union of bus drivers in the Twin Cities agglomeration, is participating in the action. Overall, the day of action will take place throughout Minnesota.”

In terms of forms of resistance, Carlin points to the emergence of mutual aid networks and direct action: “Many creative forms of resistance have emerged over the past year. This is Migra Watch or ICE Watch - when activists monitor the actions of ICE, transmit information through social networks and chats, and warn communities. People are coming out, blocking ICE operations, standing in front of cars, gathering in crowds to force them out of areas.”

Carlin concludes by emphasizing that “it remains to be seen how actively unions will be able to mobilize their members and how far this call will spread throughout the country. But the issue of the general strike and the role of the labor movement in the fight for the rights of migrants has already been put on the agenda. This makes the conflict over ICE much larger and more fundamental.”