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No work. No school. No shopping.
Activists are urging Americans to shut down the economy on Jan. 30 to protest ICE enforcement after two fatal shootings in Minneapolis.
Organizers describe the action as a “National Shutdown” and an economic blackout. The effort expands on Minnesota’s "ICE Out" protest on Jan. 23, when thousands demonstrated in Minneapolis and St. Paul and hundreds of businesses closed in solidarity.
The strike follows the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in January. Their deaths have fueled protests, political debate and renewed scrutiny of ICE operations under the Trump administration.
Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot on Jan. 7.
Federal officials said the officer acted in self-defense and claimed Good attempted to hit the agent with her car. Local officials and eyewitnesses disputed that account.
On Jan. 24, ICE agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse from Minneapolis. Authorities said Pretti approached officers with a drawn gun. Multiple bystander videos show him holding a phone while his legally permitted firearm remained holstered.
The shootings triggered mass protests in Minnesota despite sub-zero temperatures. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, an estimated 700 businesses closed their doors during the Jan. 23 action, and thousands took to the streets.
Vanessa Beardsley, owner of Catzen Coffee in Minnesota, said the earlier strike showed what broader action could look like. “I thought the strike was extremely successful. There were so many who participated that it served as a true roadmap for a larger general strike,” she said.
The University of Minnesota Graduate Labor Union urged supporters to expand participation. “Last week’s march brought out tens of thousands of people, let's make this Friday even bigger,” the union wrote on Instagram.
The National Shutdown website calls for a “nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping” and lists hundreds of endorsing organizations. Student groups backing the effort include the Somali Student Association, Ethiopian Student Association, Black Student Union, Liberian Student Association and the Graduate Labor Union at the University of Minnesota.
Celebrities have also amplified the call. Actor Hannah Einbinder wrote on Instagram that “withholding our labor and capital is our most effective leverage. national general strike spread the word!” Pedro Pascal shared a graphic of Pretti and Good that read “Pretti Good Reason For A National Strike.”
Edward Norton told the Los Angeles Times that “What they’re doing in Minnesota with the strike needs to expand. I think we should be talking about a national general economic strike until this is over.”
It remains unclear how widespread participation will be or what direct impact the blackout may have on ICE operations.
The strike coincides with a key funding deadline in Washington.
Congress must pass spending legislation by Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown. The package includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.
Senate Democrats have demanded that DHS funding be removed from the broader spending bill while lawmakers consider reforms to immigration enforcement. On Thursday evening, Senate Democrats reached a deal with Republicans and the White House to pass five spending bills.
The agreement includes a stopgap measure to fund DHS for two weeks while negotiations continue on potential guardrails for immigration agents.
Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, acknowledged in Minneapolis that not “everything that has been done here has been perfect.” He said, “President Trump wants this fixed, and I’m going to fix it.” Homan tied any potential redeployment of agents in Minneapolis to increased cooperation from state officials.
The White House has defended its immigration strategy. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said operations “have resulted in countless dangerous criminal illegals being removed from the streets,” adding that the approach will “create a safer environment where all businesses can thrive in the long term and their customers can feel safe.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey urged other American cities to resist what he described as an aggressive federal campaign. Speaking at the United States Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting, he warned, “if we do not speak up, if we do not step up, it will be your city that is next.”
Activists frame the shutdown of Jan. 30 as economic pressure against federal immigration enforcement, while the administration maintains that operations will continue as part of its broader immigration agenda.
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