ICE live updates: Minnesota ‘economic blackout’ planned in protest against agency as Vance defends immigration raids
Labor unions, faith leaders and community members in Minnesota are urging Minnesotans not to work, shop or go to school Friday as part of an “economic blackout” to combat aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
“What we are living through is an economic violence against all of us,” Rodrigo Cardoza, owner of Mercado Central in Minneapolis, told CBS News. “Immigrants are not the problem. We are job creators, partners, community builders.”
More than 400 businesses throughout the region are expected to be closed, according to organizers. Instead of shopping, some residents will participate in a march and rally – it will also serve as an event to mourn Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier this month.
The protests come one day after Vice President JD Vance gave a speech seeking to lower the temperature in Minneapolis. Vance defended ICE officers and blamed local and state law enforcement for causing “chaos” by not cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
He also defended the agency’s decision to detain a 5-year-old, saying it was the best option given the child’s father was an “illegal alien” under arrest.
