Dinkytown Target Sit‑In Demands Company Speak Out Against ICE

About two dozen protesters gathered outside the Dinkytown Target near the University of Minnesota on January 30, 2026, pressing the retailer to publicly oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and to adopt stronger protections for employees and customers. Organizers planned a sit-in, but officers waiting at the doorway stopped protesters from advancing into the store.

Organizers and participants named multiple demands. Elan Axelbank said, "ICE has been staging operations at Target parking lots all across the city." Demonstrators called on Target to ban immigration enforcement agents from stores, to publicly affirm solidarity with immigrant communities, and to support an independent investigation into the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti that have heightened tensions in Minneapolis. An Instagram post from organizers urged labor movement support, saying, "We need the full weight of the labor movement to shut down major corporations like Target that cooperate."

The group chanted "boycott target," "ice out," and "I believe that we will win" in below-freezing temperatures, surrounded by mounds of snow. Toby Harkleroad manned a megaphone and said he had just returned to Washington, D.C., from Minneapolis, where he had joined faith leaders at a demonstration at Target's headquarters. National coalitions are coordinating related actions. The coalition 50501 called for a National Shutdown and urged communities to stay home from work, school, and shopping as part of broader protests against federal immigration tactics.

The sit-in followed a viral video earlier in January showing immigration agents restraining two Target employees at a Richfield store, an episode that organizers cite as part of a pattern they say links ICE activity and Target properties. Protesters contrasted corporate responses to earlier mobilizations, with Chris Gray saying, "Seven hundred small businesses closed on the 23rd in solidarity with a general strike. Target stayed open." Company leadership has sent internal messages about safety and protocols, and Target told teams, "Target does not have cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency." The company declined to comment on the Saturday protest and on the specific requests raised by demonstrators.

Separately, state officials reported unrest at a Dinkytown hotel where authorities said damage occurred and federal agents deployed chemical irritants. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said, "While they collaboratively worked to encircle the group for arrests because the demonstration was not peaceful, federal agents arrived without communication and deployed chemical irritants, clearing the group." Those incidents underscore heightened friction between protesters, law enforcement, and federal officers in Minneapolis this month.

For Target employees and local workers, the protests signal ongoing community pressure and potential operational impacts at stores in Minneapolis and beyond. Workers may see increased public scrutiny, more on-site demonstrations, and calls for clearer company policy on interactions with immigration enforcement. Watch for follow-up statements from Target, updates from local law enforcement, and organizers' next steps as national groups plan coordinated actions.