Thousands Brave Bitter Cold to Demand ICE Leave Minneapolis

The Chronify

January 24, 2026

Huge crowds marched through Minneapolis in subzero temperatures to protest federal immigration enforcement and demand the withdrawal of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Organizers described the action as part of an “ICE OUT!” general strike, with businesses closing and workers joining marches across the city.

Thousands of demonstrators braved bitter cold, with temperatures as low as minus 20 °F (minus 29 °C), to march through the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on Friday demanding an end to the federal immigration crackdown and for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the state. Organizers billed the events as part of an “ICE OUT!” day of action - a general strike aimed at highlighting opposition to the surge of federal immigration officers deployed in the area.

Organizers claimed turnout was as high as 50,000 people, though that figure could not be independently verified, as local police did not provide a crowd estimate. Many demonstrators later gathered at the Target Center, a large indoor arena in downtown Minneapolis, which was reported to be more than half full.

Participants said that scores of businesses across Minnesota closed for the day, and workers abandoned jobs to take part in the protests and marches. The actions come amid weeks of escalating tensions between federal immigration agents and community activists opposed to the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics.

One of the most dramatic moments occurred at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, where dozens of clergy members knelt, sang hymns and prayed in protest. Local police arrested and detained many of those religious leaders after they refused to leave the roadway, according to organizers.

The protests follow public outrage over the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was killed by an ICE agent earlier this month - an incident that has galvanized opposition to the federal immigration crackdown and spurred legal and political challenges to enforcement actions in Minnesota.