1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

On January 23, I joined tens of thousands of Minneapolis residents who participated in a general strike and day of action against ICE operations in our community. Despite temperatures approaching negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people demonstrated at multiple locations throughout the day because we believe those responsible for traumatizing families and intimidating workers must be held accountable. The scale of participation reveals the depth of concern among your constituents. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Whipple Building ICE headquarters in the early morning. Thousands formed a massive picket line at Minneapolis airport Terminal 1, calling on Delta and Signature Aviation to stop cooperating with deportations. Approximately 100 clergy members knelt in the road and were arrested. The downtown rally filled the lower level of the Target Center arena. This was not simply a protest but a demonstration of community values in action. Throughout the day, residents distributed free hand warmers, snacks, and winter clothing to anyone who needed it. The coalition included unions, religious leaders from multiple faiths, and community organizations representing Minneapolis's vibrant Somali community and strong labor organizing tradition. As B. Charvez Russell from Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church declared at the Target Center, families being intimidated must scatter, children being traumatized must scatter, and workers being labeled as enemies must scatter. An imam reminded the migrant community that they are not garbage but gorgeous, not foreign but familiar, not far away but our future. I am asking you to support investigations into ICE operations that separate families and traumatize children, to oppose funding for enforcement actions that target workers and community members, and to advocate for accountability measures that ensure federal agents respect human dignity and constitutional rights. The people of Minneapolis have made clear through extraordinary sacrifice in brutal cold that we will not accept the current approach to immigration enforcement.