Nationwide “no work, no school, no shopping” strike targets ICE actions

Demonstrations and a coordinated economic blackout calling for "no work, no school, no shopping" unfolded across multiple U.S. cities Friday, mobilizing students, workers and community groups to protest recent immigration enforcement operations and two fatal shootings involving federal agents in Minnesota.

Organizers under the National Shutdown campaign framed the action as a direct challenge to immigration enforcement, posting on their website, "The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country - to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN." The campaign described the day as a nationwide strike and day of action centered on economic disruption as leverage for accountability.

The immediate catalysts named by demonstrators were the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good. Protesters and community leaders say Pretti, an intensive care nurse and Minneapolis resident, was shot multiple times after using his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an enforcement operation. Demonstrations intensified after reports that the Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into Pretti’s death, a development disclosed by the deputy attorney general. Organizers also cited the January 7 fatal shooting of Renée Good, who was reported to have been shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

The strike drew visible action in New York, where thousands gathered in Foley Square before plans to march through Manhattan, and in the Twin Cities, where protests centered at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building and some businesses shut their doors for the day. Dozens of rallies and marches were planned nationwide, with named locations including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Atlanta.

Students played a prominent role. High school students staged walkouts in several places; Groves High School students marched out of morning classes in Birmingham, Michigan. At Howard University, students gathered and planned a march to the White House, with one student saying, "I think that it just goes to show how many people are against this, and how this is jeopardising our country... I think us all coming together and speaking out against this shows our government that we are not OK with this, and we won't let it slide." A 17-year-old senior, Logan Albritton, told reporters, "We're here to protest ICE and what they're doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota. It's not right to treat our neighbours and our fellow Americans this way."

Some school districts in Arizona and Colorado canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Cultural institutions and local businesses also signaled solidarity; museum officials said, "Closing our doors for one day represents a purposeful disruption of our routine, underscoring the urgency of this moment and standing in solidarity with those whose voices are too often marginalized. We join the call for justice, accountability, freedom of speech, safety, and care for all people, and we act in solidarity with those demanding dignity and protection for our communities." Celebrity supporters, including Edward Norton and Pedro Pascal, publicly endorsed the demonstrations.

Organizers framed the national action as an expansion of a recent Minnesota "ICE Out" protest that drew thousands in sub-zero temperatures. They also noted that federal immigration agents had been operating in Minneapolis for more than six weeks, a timeline cited by the campaign as part of the context for escalating demonstrations.

The mobilization underscores a broader strategy by activists to translate public outrage into economic and civic disruption aimed at reshaping enforcement policy. The Justice Department's civil rights inquiry into Pretti's death and continuing questions about agency accountability are likely to shape immediate political and legal fallout as communities press for answers and federal authorities evaluate next steps.