1 of 8 | Thousands of protesters march in sub-zero temperatures during “ICE Out” day to protest the federal government’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis on Friday. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 23 (UPI) — More than 100 clergy were arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday during a protest of federal immigration enforcement in the city.
Organizers said they were arrested by airport staff and local law enforcement. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission told CNN that the group had pre-approved permits.
“The approved demonstration permit set a dedicated location and maximum number of participants to maintain the safety of protestors, passengers and airport employees,” he said in a statement. “When the permitted activity went beyond the agreed-upon terms, MSP Airport Police began taking necessary action, including arrests, to protect public safety, airport security and access to Terminal 1.”
He didn’t specify what led to the arrests.
Organizers said the group told The Guardian that they “prayed together, sang songs and hymns, and shared stories of those who have been abducted by ICE while at work or commuting to and from the airport.”
People called out of work, businesses shut down and people avoided spending money in Minnesota Friday as a protest of the federal agents surge in their state.
The general strike day is called ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom, and the organizers have called for people to boycott work, school and shopping. The strike calls for an immediate end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state and charges for the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. It also demands no more funding for ICE in the next federal budget.
“It’s tense and emotional, and folks are hurting,” Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith in Action, told The New York Times. He said Minnesotans are showing their “deep resilience and willingness to stand together in ways I haven’t seen folks do in a very long time.”
The day of the protest was difficult for those braving the weather, as Minnesota is under an extreme cold warning on Friday. Temperatures in the Twin Cities are expected to drop to minus 20 degrees, with wind chills of minus 41 degrees.
A march was held at 2 p.m. CST in Minneapolis, and prayer vigils were conducted in communities throughout the state.
The city has been under tension for weeks since the agents arrived. Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7.
Federal prosecutors recently subpoenaed Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democratic elected officials. A Nicaraguan detainee died in ICE custody of an apparent suicide. On Thursday, a 5-year-old boy was detained with his father, and three other children reportedly were detained.
Three activists were arrested after a protest during a church service. Vice President JD Vance visited the city Thursday to “restore law and order” in the city,