Working-Class Resistance Forced ICE Out of Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, a new generation of activists is challenging Donald Trump, reviving labor militancy, and scoring victories. Next stop: May Day 2026.
Working-class resistance in Minneapolis was integral to the battle that pushed back against Trump’s immigration crackdown. The labor movement is rediscovering its fighting spirit in advance of this year’s May Day. (Jerome Gilles / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Many of us have felt overwhelmed by Donald Trump’s dizzying array of attacks on other countries, workers, marginalized communities, and our democracy. But after a year of grappling with Trump’s onslaught, the working class of Minneapolis rose to the challenge and fought back.
On December 1, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, flooding “the Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and Saint Paul with four thousand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. They blatantly racially profiled people of color, violently detained over four thousand people, and deported hundreds.
In response, tens of thousands of working-class people from different backgrounds joined together to organize protests, mutual aid for immigrant neighbors, and community patrols to inhibit ICE activities.
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