It's a statewide day of action planned for January 23rd as labor leaders call for a "collective refusal" to work, attend school, or shop to protest recent federal immigration enforcement tactics.
Labor leader Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou says organizers expect this to make a major economic impact, similar to past demonstrations in Los Angeles.
"You take a smaller community, three times as many ICE agents, and they you take a community that is just going to shut down everything for a day," says Gabiou, "I mean, we can't give an exact number but just think of the multiplication of what's going to happen on Friday."
Representatives from several major unions, are reporting that the increase in ICE activity has disrupted workplaces and created safety concerns for their members.
Local labor leaders are expecting a massive turnout for what's being called a day of truth and freedom, although Gabiou says the scope of just how many people will participate, will be tough to pin down.
"The way they're going to be participating is going to show up in hundreds of thousands of different ways. If they have to go to work, they're not going to shop. If they have to, if their kids have to go to school, they're going to find another way to show up in their community."
Regardless of the final tally, she says the demonstration is designed to deliver a significant economic blow.
Over the last year the United States has seen a historic surge in organized protests, including the "Day Without Immigrants" on February 3rd, 2025, which saw thousands of business closures and rallies in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago to highlight immigrant contributions to the economy.
On January 20th, 2026, organizers launched the "Free America Walkout," a 50-state movement involving literal walkouts from schools and workplaces to protest federal escalations and advocate for civil liberties.
In Minnesota specifically, tensions have peaked following "Operation Metro Surge", that started in December which saw over 2,000 immigration agents come to the Twin Cities to address alleged fraud in government programs.
Local leaders, including the Minnesota Attorney General, filed a lawsuit on January 12th, 2026 arguing that the federal presence is unconstitutional and has caused economic harm, with some Minneapolis businesses reporting an 80% revenue drop.
This legal standoff intensified after the January 7th, 2026, fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, by a federal agent. An event that served as one of the major catalysts for the upcoming January 23rd day of action.