Protesters gathered across the United States on Friday for a nationwide general strike against federal immigration enforcement operations and the recent fatal shootings by immigration agents.
According to tracking by Payday Report, a labor news organization, the demonstrations, organized under the banner “National Shutdown,” took place in at least 300 cities, with actions ranging from business closures to student walkouts and street marches.
The protests were triggered by the deaths of two Minneapolis residents shot by federal agents this month. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an agent from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was killed on Jan. 24 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while observing a federal operation.
Protests began earlier this week on college campuses in Los Angeles.
More than 1,000 students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) walked out of classes at the Westwood campus on Wednesday.
On Friday, at least 10 separate protest locations in Los Angeles were organized, including gatherings at City Hall, the ICE detention center downtown, and in neighborhoods such as Echo Park, Santa Monica and Pasadena.
Rachel Elder, who attended a protest with her son, told Xinhua she was demonstrating against what she described as unlawful violence by ICE agents.
“I’m here with my son because we are protesting the occupation of ICE and the unlawful violence, murder that the agents have committed against innocent protesters,” she said.
Beyond individual participation, many businesses also joined the protests by closing or modifying operations.
In Boyle Heights, a focal point of local demonstrations, restaurants, cafes and retail stores along Cesar Chavez Avenue shut down, with many displaying signs reading “FUERA ICE” (ICE Out).
The demonstrations in California formed part of a broader nationwide economic shutdown.
In New York City, an estimated 7,000 people gathered at Foley Square in Manhattan.
In San Francisco, at least 70 businesses announced closures for the strike.
In Portland, Oregon, hundreds of high school students walked out of classes at schools, marching through streets in light rain while carrying signs reading “Stop ICE Terror Now.”
In Chicago, businesses closed in several neighbourhoods.
In Minnesota, the epicenter of the protests, thousands of people rallied in downtown Minneapolis.
Organizers said more than 500 businesses signed on to either close or take part in solidarity actions for Friday’s demonstration.
The (Donald) Trump administration has defended its immigration enforcement operations.
Tom Homan, the administration’s border enforcement chief, said Thursday that while the federal government is working on a plan to reduce the number of federal immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota, they are “not surrendering the president’s mission on immigration enforcement.”
Xinhua
