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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Protests opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are planned in multiple locations across the United States this week, as activists organize what they describe as an "economic blackout" to draw attention to federal enforcement practices.
Why It Matters
The planned action follows widespread outrage over the killing of Renee Nicole Good, the 37‑year‑old Minneapolis resident who was shot and killed by an ICE agent earlier this month during enforcement activity in the Twin Cities.
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What To Know
A week later, on January 14, authorities said a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during an enforcement action in north Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the man was wounded after a traffic stop and a struggle in which officers said he and others attacked an agent. The man’s injury was non‑life‑threatening, and he was taken to the hospital.
Organizers have centered planned actions in Minnesota on a call for a statewide pause in daily life, urging residents not to work, attend school, or shop on Friday, January 23, as part of a coordinated "ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth & Freedom" protest against expanded federal immigration enforcement.
The initiative, backed by labor unions, faith leaders, and community groups, aims to spotlight what critics describe as an unprecedented surge in ICE operations and their effects on local communities.
Some Minnesota businesses have announced plans to close or adjust operations for the day of protest, while similar solidarity events are planned in cities outside the state, including rallies, walkouts, and boycotts organized by labor advocates and immigrant rights groups who say they seek to support immigrant communities and challenge current enforcement practices
Newsweek has created this map, providing a visual overview of demonstrations planned or underway on January 23.
Map Shows Anti-ICE ‘Economic Blackout’ Events Across US
Planned events on the 23rd are scheduled across the country, with activities ranging from morning demonstrations to afternoon gatherings. Some of the locations include a "Honk-and-Wave" event along High and Market streets in West Chester, Pennsylvania; a planned gathering outside the Horry County Courthouse in Conway, South Carolina; a rally near Target in Lafayette, Indiana; and a demonstration at Minnesota Square Park in Saint Peter, Minnesota. In the West, events are scheduled at the Home Depot in Roseville, California, and near the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington.
In New York City, thousands of residents from more than 70 organizations, including labor unions, faith groups, and community advocacy networks, are planning a march in solidarity with Minneapolis-St. Paul, where tens of thousands of Minnesotans have taken to the streets to protest ICE enforcement.
The New York demonstration, scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2026, at 4 p.m, will begin at Union Square Park and proceed along 14th Street, 6th Avenue, and 23rd Street, with stops at several corporate locations, including Amazon, Home Depot, and Palantir. Organizers say the events are intended to call for the withdrawal of federal immigration enforcement forces, an end to aggressive operations in neighborhoods and schools, protection of civil rights, and oversight of federal agencies.
In Florida, several communities are joining nationwide protests against ICE operations on Friday. Demonstrations are scheduled at Suniland Shopping Center in Pinecrest, the intersection of 17th and Gilman Boulevard in Issaquah, Fortunato Park in Ormond Beach, Mount Dora at Donnelly and 441, NW 19th Street overpass in Lauderhill, and 20th Street and 28th Avenue South in Moorhead.
Federal officials have defended ICE enforcement actions, stating that operations are conducted under existing immigration law and are focused on individuals who are in the country unlawfully or who pose public safety concerns.
The Department of Homeland Security has said that roughly 3,000 arrests have been made in Minnesota over the past six weeks as part of its expanded immigration enforcement operations, which have drawn widespread protests and civil unrest. Federal authorities have also deployed thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the state, and the Pentagon has placed about 1,500 active‑duty Army soldiers on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota amid escalating tensions, though no troops have been ordered into the field
What People Are Saying
32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said in a statement shared with Newsweek: “We are joining with SEIU locals from across the country, as well as with union members from all walks of life, to express our solidarity, sympathy and outrage at the indefensible killing of Renee Good and the violence and terror being inflicted on the people of Minnesota by ICE. We stand in unison to demand an end to ICE’s paramilitary activity in our cities, and to insist that the federal government hold agents accountable for the loss of life, limb, and liberty that they are inflicting. We make these demands not only for the rights of immigrants, but to defend the freedom and dignity of everyone in this country, no matter where they live nor where they were born. Every right that we have fought for, from worker rights to civil rights, is now under attack. Our economy, our communities, and our national identity is founded on immigrants and workers of all races and backgrounds, and we echo our allies’ demand that ICE receive no new funding, that masked assaults and enforcement in schools and other safe places end, and that we return to a nation that honors liberty and justice for all.”
The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) President Chris Rubesch said in a statement: "As nurses, we cannot be absent when fear is driving people away from care and tearing families apart. Participation in this day is about standing with our patients, our co-workers, and our communities."
**ICE Out Of Minnesota wrote on Facebook: "**ICE's violent and lawless enforcement surge is underway in Minnesota. It has cost the life of Renee Nicole Good. It continues to tear apart families, destabilize communities, and violate the freedoms of Minnesotans across our state. We can't move forward as if this is normal. It is not. Human life is inherently the most sacred and violence against any neighbor diminishes us all."
Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday: "We’re seeing this level of chaos only in Minneapolis. Maybe the problem is unique to Minneapolis and we believe that it is."
Update 1/23/26, 10:17 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich.
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