Protesters across the United States staged widespread “no work, no school, no shopping” strikes on Friday, shutting businesses, walking out of classrooms and gathering in city centres to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, as anger mounted over the killings of two people during recent enforcement actions.
According to news agency AP, the demonstrations came amid outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after using his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
His death followed the January 7 killing of Renee Good, who was fatally shot while sitting behind the wheel of her vehicle by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, deepening scrutiny of federal tactics.
Organisers called for a nationwide shutdown, urging Americans to abstain from work, school and shopping.
“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,” read one of several messages circulated online promoting protests across communities, as per AP.
Protests spread coast to coast
Demonstrations were reported in cities and towns from Boise, Idaho, to Gainesville, Florida, with many actions centred around schools, statehouses, churches and federal buildings.
As reported by the New York Times, protesters ditched work in Philadelphia, blocked traffic in Los Angeles and closed businesses in New York in solidarity with Minneapolis residents.
Some school districts in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively cancelled classes, anticipating mass absences.
In Tucson, Arizona, classes were cancelled at 21 schools after a “high volume of staff” took personal leave, according to the New York Times.
In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit, braving sub-zero temperatures to march to a nearby business district. “We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior, as per AP.
Similar walkouts were reported in Georgia, where Abigail Daugherty, a 16-year-old student, organised a protest at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee. “For years, I have felt powerless… I wanted to do something,” she said, according to AP.
Minneapolis at the centre
Near Minneapolis, hundreds gathered early Friday outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a focal point of recent protests.
After speeches by clergy members, demonstrators marched toward restricted areas, shouting at department of homeland security agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota,” AP reported. The crowd later dispersed after police warned of arrests for blocking roads.
Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined after seeing federal agents stopping immigrants near her home.
“Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that,” she said, as quoted by AP.
Los Angeles protests turn tense
In Los Angeles, where Trump’s immigration surge began last June, thousands gathered outside City Hall before marching to a federal detention centre. As evening fell, federal agents deployed chemical sprays to push back protesters.
Democratic Representative Maxine Waters joined the demonstration, chanting “ICE out of LA.”
“What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said. “They’re now trying to tear gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving,” she added, as per AP.
As per the New York Times, while most protests remained peaceful, some demonstrators in Los Angeles grew rowdier later in the evening, prompting the use of tear gas by federal agents.
Businesses close, communities respond
Across several cities, businesses either closed in solidarity or pledged donations. In New York, Otway Restaurant and its sister bakery announced that 50% of proceeds would be donated to the New York Immigration Coalition.
In Portland, Maine, residents gathered after Republican Senator Susan Collins announced that ICE was ending its enforcement surge in the state. Protesters held signs reading “No ICE for ME.”
Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, said ICE actions caused “daily trauma” in schools, according to AP.
“Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilises a family,” she said.
Violence at protests raises alarm
Tensions also spilled over into violence. In Nebraska, a student was hit by an SUV flying a Trump flag during a student-led protest outside Fremont High School. Video footage showed the vehicle accelerating toward a student holding a sign before striking them.
The student was hospitalised, though officials did not disclose the extent of injuries.
As per the New York Times, many protesters said the killings of Good and Pretti marked a turning point. “People are being killed on the streets, which is something I never thought I would see in America,” said Jane Nevins, 41, protesting in Philadelphia.
For many, Friday’s protests were less about a single policy and more about fear for the country’s future. “If that could happen to him, I don’t see why it couldn’t happen to anyone else,” said Kelia Harrold, a student protester in Florida, referring to Pretti’s death.