St. Paul, MN – More than 170 immigrant rights supporters mobilized to the Minnesota State Capitol on March 12 to oppose HF 16, a proposed anti-immigrant bill. The bill would prohibit sanctuary-type ordinances in Minnesota’s cities and counties, which would separate local law enforcement from federal immigration enforcement. Minneapolis and Saint Paul have long-standing separation ordinances. The bill would also require all of Minnesota’s county attorneys to notify federal immigration authorities when an undocumented person is arrested.

The House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee held the legislature’s first hearing on the bill. Community members packed room 120 in the capitol building for the hearing, while also filling the hallway outside, as well as an overflow room on the third floor. Additionally, according to the North Star Alliance, more than 580 people sent letters to their representatives in opposition to the bill.

Several members of immigrant rights organizations gave testimony to the committee on why the bill is harmful and should not be passed. These included members of SEIU Local 26, Advocates for Human Rights, MN8, the North Star Alliance, and others.

Montha Chum of MN8 told the committee, “All we’ve ever dreamed of is to be in a peaceful and safe world. Many immigrants came here because they yearn for safety. However, ICE detention and deportation reflects the cruel conditions of war-time concentration camps and are parallel to the extreme violence we once fled from.”

Despite this mobilization, the committee, which has a slight Republican majority, passed the bill on a party-line vote. This moves the bill forward to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee, which is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill on March 17. The companion bill in the Senate, SF 643, has not yet received a hearing.

Immigrant rights organizers vowed to continue to mobilize opposition to the bill at the March 17 hearing and any future hearings.

#StPaulMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #featured

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people came out of the cold of Minnesota’s winter and jumped into the fires of the struggle on Friday, March 7. Beginning at 6 p.m., the hall of the Lucy Parson’s Center was packed for an event to mark International Women’s Day.

Key points of discussion centered on the origin of gender oppression, and the role of women as both workers in their workplaces, but also those who have the brunt of work in the home forced upon them. Olivia Crull of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a founding member of MN Abortion Action Committee, put it concisely: “If we want to understand where gender oppression comes from, we first have to talk about reproductive labor and the family. Reproductive labor is exactly what it sounds like: it reproduces our health and energy outside of work. It includes things like cooking, cleaning, entertaining, childbearing and rearing.”

Crull noted, “Historically and currently, women perform the bulk of this labor so that when their husbands return to work, having been fed and cared for, they’re able to continue producing for their capitalist bosses.” Crull also noted the important role that women play in that reserved group of unemployed workers, being drawn on by the billionaire class to expand workforces in growing industries, and on the other hand being pushed out at the first sign of economic downturn.

Expanding from this discussion, speakers touched on the role of women and the impact of gender oppression in each of their particular struggles. Robynne Johnson, speaking for MNAAC, discussed the importance of the struggle for women’s and reproductive rights to all struggles, stating, “To support reproductive freedom is to support working-class women and gender oppressed people everywhere.”

Johnson continued, “When Roe was overturned in 2022, states across the country began rolling out abortion bans and stealing the right to bodily autonomy from women, and recently we’ve seen legislators introduce dozens of bills aimed at limiting trans people from receiving gender-affirming care. These laws are direct attacks on working and oppressed people. When the ruling class institutes bans against our bodies, they are stealing our autonomy away from us, just like they steal all the wealth that we create.”

Attendees listened with great interest to the words of speakers and after that were invited to participate in a Q&A portion to get deeper into the matter of each of the speakers’ issues, and how the fight for women’s rights and an end to gender oppression connects to other struggles. At the closing of the event, attendees were invited to take part in a march the following day, March 8, to mark the working class holiday of International Women’s Day itself.

The event was spearheaded by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Twin Cities District and included speakers from FRSO as well as: the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA – CWA), the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), and the MN Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #TCC4J #MIRAC #MNAAC #AWC #AFACWA

Minneapolis, MN – On March 11, over 300 people protested in front of the Federal Building downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the Trump administration’s criminalization of the pro-Palestine student movement at U.S. The protest was a part of Student for a Democratic Society’s call for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Khalil.

On the evening of March 8, the Department of Homeland Security detained Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This was the first detention after Trump ordered the State Department to deport students for pro-Palestine activism. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder, and his arrest is an unlawful violation of freedom of speech and immigration laws.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899 requires “the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other […] report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”

On February 28, The Department of Justice announced that a federal task force to “Combat Antisemitism” would visit ten college campuses that “experienced incidents of antisemitism.” Trump’s administration conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and criminalizes students, staff and faculty who have protested a deadly genocide that has killed over 48,000 people in Gaza. This is a discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian and Middle Eastern students, faculty and staff. Columbia University and University of Minnesota are among campuses under investigation.

Crista Ocampo, an organizer with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke to the crowd, “We condemn this egregious case of political repression at the hands of ICE. ICE officers have terrorized communities across the country for far too long and now they are being used as a tool by Trump to further repress the Palestine movement. Shame! We won’t let them get away with this. Just look at the hard fought battle SDS put up and won against their administration to get the suspensions dropped for the Halimy Hall students. When our oppressors’ attacks become more blatant, it only makes it easier for us to unite with each other on the path to justice. We will never stop fighting because we know that that’s how we win.”

Lina Jebara, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, closed out the protest, “These acts of political repression – of plucking community leaders from movements, of threatening organizers with unconstitutional deportations or with phony felony charges, as we’ve seen here in our community – are not new for this country. These are deliberate actions taken to make us fear retaliation for standing up against depraved injustices, to push us towards acquiescence. We’re out here today, after witnessing months of harrowing genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel on our dime, to say that these tactics do not and will not work on us.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, UMN Educators for Justice in Palestine, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and endorsed by UMN Students for Justice in Palestine, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #Trump #SDS #MNAWC #SJP #MIRAC #JVP #AMP

St. Louis Park, MN – Dozens of immigrant rights supporters gathered to protest on March 5 in the inner-ring suburb of Saint Louis Park outside Hardcoat Inc., an aluminum finishing business. Last week immigration officials swarmed the Hardcoat building at West Lake Street and Taft Avenue and detained seven immigrant workers.

The protest was called by the Immigrant Defense Network, a large network of organizations that was formed in Minnesota after the presidential election.

At the protest, a statement was read by a family member of one of the detained workers, and members of COPAL, MN8 and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) spoke.

In the last two weeks there were also immigration raids at workplaces in Duluth and Rochester, Minnesota. Speakers at the protest emphasized that the ICE operation at Hardcoat and in other parts of Minnesota shows the reality of Trump's attacks on immigrants – they are going after workers, not criminals.

#StLouisParkMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #COPAL #MN8

Richfield, MN – Hundreds gathered in Richfield, March 1, for a protest and march to demand an end to the attacks on immigrants and to stand in solidarity with Minnesota immigrant and refugee communities. People showed their strong support through loud chants and a march to city hall. 

Speakers denounced Trump’s attacks on immigrants and promises that deportations will increase. The Department of Homeland Security reports that they have arrested over 20,000 undocumented immigrants since Trump took office, nearly half of who are reported to have no criminal record. Trump is using mass detention and deportation to terrorize immigrants, families and communities. 

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) with endorsements from many local immigrant rights groups including Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) MN, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles. 

MIRAC member Miguel Hernandez, who grew up in Richfield, thanked the local immigrant community, stating that immigrants “built up Richfield when businesses were closing 20 years ago. You can’t go one mile without running into some type of immigrant business.”

The group ended in front of several immigrant-owned businesses. Organizers spoke to the negative impact the administration has had on local businesses, encouraging protesters to buy from immigrant-owned restaurants and shops to keep the community thriving even under the racist threats of the Trump administration. 

MIRAC will continue mobilizing in the streets to fight against attacks on immigrants in Minnesota, including on May 1, to celebrate International Workers Day. More information to come on that protest and more will be on all social media platforms under the username MIRACMN.

#RichfieldMN #MIRACMN #MIRAC #Immigration #NoMoreDeportations #NiUnaMas #CAIR #Refugee #Trump #ImmigrantRights

Minneapolis, MN – In frigid weather, February 20, 50 people rallied with the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) to oppose Trump's attacks on the environment, along with the barrage of other attacks that have happened in the first month of Trump’s presidency. 

Speakers connected Trump's attacks on immigrants, trans rights, workers and Palestine to the rollback of environmental protections that Trump instituted in his first days in office.

Trump has used executive orders to push more fossil fuels and end the U.S. role in the Paris Climate Accords, ensuring that previously agreed upon goals to curb climate change won’t happen. The CJC speaker emphasized how every tenth of a percent of rising temperatures mean more intense weather, food scarcity and increasing energy costs that fall disproportionately on oppressed nationality and working class families and their communities. They also talked about the lack of action by Democrats like Senator Klobuchar, whose office the rally was in front of.

Rally goers chanted, “Stand up fight back” as the emcee rotated the attacks on immigrants, trans rights, Palestine, and workers that are happening from Trump and his cronies. 

Kristen Bledsoe from Minnesota Abortion Action Committee talked about the heart wrenching case of Sam Nordquist, a Minnesota native who had recently been tortured and killed in New York as a logical conclusion of the transphobic rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. 

Bledsoe ended her speech with, “We have to resist the impulse to shut down and hide. We have to recognize that the cruelty and the chaos of the Trump administration is meant to make us lose focus, and we have to counter that by being more strategic, more united, and more organized than ever before.” 

“Trump’s attacks on DEI show the white supremacist mindset, trying to kill anything that would make this country more equal for those who have been left out for centuries,” stated Minnesota Workers United speaker Neil Radford. Radford called on rally goers to focus on solidarity of the working class that needs to stand together and not allow Trump and his ilk to divide us. 

Mira Altobell-Resendez from the Minnesota Immigrant Action Committee talked about the important work MIRAC is doing using Know Your Rights trainings with immigrant communities and allies to stand against ICE and governmental agencies. 

Trent Fast from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee made a clear case, “We need to be mad as hell at Donald Trump and his attacks on everyday working people here at home - and those in Palestine. We all have more in common with everyday Palestinians than we ever will with people like Donald Trump. Solidarity across movements is our sharpest weapon against his presidency. Because when we stand together, there's way more of us than there are of them!”

All of the speakers emphasized the importance of getting involved and building solidarity among the people’s movements to stand against the Trump attacks over the next four years and beyond.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCities #CJC #ClimateJustice #MNAWC #AWC #ICE #MIRAC #Immigration #NoDeportations #DEI

Minneapolis, MN – On February 19, approximately 100 protesters rallied at Senator Amy Klobuchar's office to demand an end to U.S. militarization of the southern border. Despite the frigid temperatures, protesters energetically chanted, waved signs and cheered as passersby honked their car horns in support. The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) and Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

The Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of attacks against immigrants, including highly publicized ICE raids which have terrorized communities around the country. Highlighted at the protest was the recent announcement that 5000 active duty U.S. soldiers are now patrolling the U.S./Mexico border – a number that may increase. Speakers at the event were clear in connecting Trump's inhumane attacks against immigrant communities with the United States' long-standing exploitation of Latin America and Global South countries more generally.

“They steal the resources from the homelands of immigrants, they exploit the labor of immigrants and then have the audacity to claim that immigrants are the problem,” said Crista Ocampo, an organizer with MIRAC and the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC). Ocampo then specifically spoke about U.S. economic sanctions, a key driver of immigration as people are forced to leave their home countries due to deteriorating conditions imposed by the U.S.

Simon Elliot, an organizer with MPAC, elaborated on this connection between U.S. foreign and immigration policy, which he called the pattern of “destabilization and criminalization.” Elliot identified the injustices facing Haiti, a country brought into the public limelight recently due to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's racist vitriol against Haitian immigrants in the leadup to the 2024 election.

Elliot stated, “After the 1991 coup against Haiti’s democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, around 40,000 Haitians attempted to flee to the United States. Many were detained at Guantánamo Bay for at least six months under deplorable conditions.”

The current militarization of the border and worrying calls by some U.S. officials for a military operation against Mexico to “target the cartels” comes to mind when we think of the “destabilization and criminalization” pattern.

Another common theme during the event was the connection to the issue of Palestine. Multiple speakers specifically called out the role of Elbit Systems, an Israeli weapons manufacturer which creates bombs and surveillance technologies that play a key role in Israel's genocidal aggression against Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Elbit has also been contracted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to build similar militarized surveillance equipment as part of the U.S./Mexico border wall,” explained Meredith Aby, a founding member of the AWC. Aby then pointed out that the Minnesota State Board of Investments has $1.4 million invested in that very same Elbit Systems, making U.S. public pensioners unwillingly invested in a company that helps to slaughter Palestinians and militarize the U.S. border.

Ocampo, who also spoke about Elbit, called the weapons company “a perfect example of why we have to stand in solidarity with all oppressed people. We are all being oppressed by the same people and systems who are making a profit off of our oppression.”

Far from the chaotic atmosphere of panic and fear whipped up by the Trump administration, this action showed the clarity and focus of a movement that will only become more determined to organize, fight and win. The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee’s next protest will be on Saturday, March 1 starting at noon at the Hub parking lot, 36 W 66th Street in Richfield.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Trump #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – During a heavy snowfall in the evening rush hour on Valentines Day, February 14, dozens of people gathered on the Lake Street /Marshall Avenue bridge between Minneapolis and Saint Paul to demonstrate support for immigrants in our community. Many drivers passing by honked and waved to show their support.

The evening bannering was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), as part of a coordinated statewide Valentines Day of Action to show support for immigrant communities that are in the crosshairs of the racist Trump regime. The statewide day of action was organized by the Immigrant Defense Network, a network of dozens of organizations throughout Minnesota committed to defending immigrant communities.

The day of action also included a morning rally at the same location, a press conference, as well as actions in Rochester and Mankato coordinated by COPAL, MN8, and other members of the Immigrant Defense Network.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 community members packed into a South Minneapolis church for a three-hour training on January 4, and then another 100 people on February 8, to prepare to resist incoming President Trump's attacks on immigrants.

The Immigration Raid Response Trainings were organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), a grassroots immigrant rights organization that's been fighting against deportations and for legalization for all since 2006.

The training walks people through how to observe, document, protest and resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that attempt to detain and deport people in their communities.

Presenters detailed the long history of racist immigration laws in the U.S. under both political parties, and the mass struggles that have been waged to push back against the racist immigration enforcement system. It took many decades of mass struggle for African Americans, indigenous peoples, Mexican Americans, Chinese Americans and others to overturn racist immigration and citizenship laws and policies.

Presenters at the training used photos and videos to show how ICE carries out its operations, what different kinds of warrants look like, and the difference between ICE operations targeting individuals versus ICE raids at workplaces and in communities that target large numbers of people at the same time.

Trump and his top immigration policy nominees have repeatedly said they want to carry out the largest mass deportations in U.S. history and have said this is likely to include larger operations like workplace raids. The last wave of large workplace raids in the U.S. happened in 2006-2008 under the Bush administration, which included raids at meatpacking plants in Worthington, Minnesota and Postville, Iowa that had a devastating impact on those communities and their economies.

The presenters at the training emphasized that everyone in the U.S. has rights, including the right to not open the door for ICE if they don’t display a warrant signed by a judge; the right to remain silent; the right to not sign anything; the right to talk to their consulate if they are a foreign national; and the right to talk to a lawyer.

They also walked through the rights that people have to observe and document ICE operations, and the importance of doing so thoroughly and accurately to document any violations of laws or procedures by ICE officers that could help the legal case of people targeted by ICE operations.

One thing the presenters emphasized is that while it’s good to record video of ICE operations, it’s best not to livestream. This is so an immigration lawyer or immigrant rights organization can review it first to verify it is in fact an ICE operation, and then only post with accurate information about what’s happening, and also to protect the identities of those who are targeted and others who may be in the area. They also emphasized the importance of not posting or sharing unverified rumors of ICE raids on social media, as this can cause panic in the community unnecessarily.

Finally, presenters showed examples of civil disobedience and direct action that have happened in the past to block ICE from taking people away for deportation, explaining tactics people have used and what the legal risks of such actions may be.

One of MIRAC’s presenters at the training, Mira Altobello-Resendez, said, “The training was a big success. Now there are more than 100 people trained and ready to observe and protest any immigration raids Trump might try in Minnesota, and we have more trainings coming up. Our communities will protect our immigrant families, co-workers, neighbors and friends.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #Trump

Minneapolis, MN – 130 U of MN Twin Cities students and supporters gathered outside of the Student Union in the windy, freezing weather on Thursday, February 6, to demand safety for all immigrant and international students on campus.

Shortly after the university announced they plan to comply with ICE orders on campus, UMN SDS announced an emergency rally and march to call for a “Sanctuary Campus” where undocumented students and faculty are protected from the threat of deportation from federal authorities. This message was echoed throughout the various speeches and on signs in the crowd, including, “School is for education, nor deportation” and “My dreams are bigger than your walls.”

After initial chants of “Up, up with liberation; down, down with deportations” rang through the crowd, the first speaker kicked off the protest by repeatedly reminding everyone that “all persons in the United States have Constitutional protections.”

Dr. Montes of the University of Minnesota’s Chicano Studies Department emphasized that students should create a safety plan by sharing emergency contacts with friends and loved ones, as well making sure to understand they have the right to remain silent. If an ICE officer or other official does not have a warrant signed by a judge, people do not have to answer questions or go with them.

After a few more speakers continued to carry on the messages that immigrants belong in the U.S. and on Minnesota campuses, the group walked down Washington Avenue behind banners that read “Stop the deportations; sanctuary campus now” and “Students against the racist reactionary Republican agenda.”

A quick stop outside the UMN Police Station allowed for Emilio César Rodríguez, a UMN student who is running for city council in Ward 3, to speak about the North STAR Act, which prohibits local and state officials from collaborating with federal immigrant officials. It would safeguard immigrants throughout Minnesota as a whole – making it a sanctuary state. The march ended outside of McNamara Alumni Center where three more speakers concluded the rally.

Other groups within the U of MN campus have also called for ICE off campus and for the administration to ensure the rights of student immigrants.

Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS), Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and Mi Gente are three UMN student groups that have upcoming events focused on immigrant rights.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS #MIRAC #MALCS #MiGente #Trump #Deportations #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On February 2, over 3000 people gathered for an emergency protest on Lake Street, which is home to many Latino and Somali businesses. Under the banner of “Stop the attacks on immigrants,” specific demands included “No more deportations,” An end to all anti-immigrant executive orders, and “Legalization for all!”

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), a grassroots organization that has been organizing since 2006, called the protest to bring attention to the long list of racist, anti-immigrant and repressive executive orders and other reactionary actions taken by newly re-elected President Donald Trump in his first two weeks in office.

The Minneapolis protest was part of the Legalization for All Network’s week of action around the country, which has included mobilizations from Los Angeles to Detroit to Dallas to San Jose and beyond.

There was a huge turnout of the Latino community of all ages, with many signs in Spanish and Mexican and Ecuadorian flags. These are two of the largest Latin American nationalities in Minnesota. There was also a number of Native American organizations in solidarity with immigrants, including people with flags from the American Indian Movement, the Indigenous Protector Movement and others. Significant numbers of Asian, Black and white people also marched to stand up against the attacks on immigrants.

In addition to the thousands of people marching, young people spontaneously began a car caravan to accompany the march, with people displaying Mexican and Ecuadorian flags and protest signs out their car windows and honking. The young people waving their flags and signs from their cars were so motivated that they even kept going after the march ended.

Many people brought handmade signs with slogans like “Families belong together,” “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” in both Spanish and English.

Dancers from the Aztecan group Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue performed and drummed in the streets, while many workers from local immigrant businesses stepped outside to cheer and wave, as demonstrators hoisted their children on their shoulders.

Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and two weeks of widespread mobilizations to resist his reactionary agenda, the administration has escalated attacks on immigrant communities and their allies, including trying to illegally end birthright citizenship, allowing ICE to carry out operations in schools, churches, and hospitals, and further militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

With the status of sanctuary cities hanging in the balance, the protest came at a crucial time, bringing together immigrants and their supporters to fight against Trump’s attacks rather than being scared into silence.

The protest was endorsed and had speakers from a broad multinational coalition of social justice organizations, such as the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Black Immigrant Collective, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, MN Workers United, the Free Palestine Coalition, and many more.

Dieu Do, representing MIRAC, began the march with a call to strengthen solidarity., saying that the administration “will never understand is that our collective liberation is rooted in each other. When you attack one of our communities, you attack all of our communities. So, if they think we’re going to sit down, and we’re going to back down, that we’re going to be quiet and comply. No, we’re not.”

“We must fight, we must organize, we must have each other’s backs,” said Emilio Cesar Rodriguez with the North Star Alliance, addressing the concerns of Latino students across the country. Montha Chum of the MN8 touched on how important it is for immigrants to lead as an example for their respective community. She emphasized, “It is our collective responsibility to take action. We know that the same systems that wage war and destabilizes our lands imprison our people. Reflecting on my story and saving my brother from deportation, I am reminded that change comes from people who resist, fight back, and choose love!”

After leading the crowd in a march along East Lake Street that spanned multiple city blocks in the freezing cold and snow, MIRAC emphasized the need to avoid sharing misinformation about ICE raids, and instead to continue sharing Know Your Rights resources with neighbors and coworkers, and attending their raid response trainings, which are open to community members. The crowd continued to cheer, honk their car horns and wave flags of their home countries long after the program had ended, expressing pride boldly without apology.

MIRAC will continue to mobilize people to resist the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants and respond to ICE operations in Minnesota, building toward a massive mobilization of immigrant workers on May 1, International Workers Day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #Trump

Minneapolis, MN – Disgraced former Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis leader, Bob Kroll, seeks President-elect Trump’s nomination to become U.S. Marshal for the Minnesota Judicial District. Kroll, a 30-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, had a lengthy disciplinary record, including wrongful arrest and excessive force complaints, before his retirement in 2021.

Kroll settled a federal civil suit in 2023, banning him from serving as a police officer in Hennepin, Ramsey, or Anoka Counties for ten years. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Minnesota, alleged that Kroll and his colleagues in the MPD retaliated against community members exercising their right to protest and used excessive force and chemical irritants without providing sufficient warning. The settlement also bars Kroll from serving in a leadership role in any law enforcement agency in those counties, or in any role on the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement oversight and licensing board.

Bob Kroll and MPD’s wanton brutality in response to the uprising in 2020, sparked by MPD’s execution of George Floyd, was the rule rather than the exception. Over the course of his career, Kroll amassed over 20 internal affairs complaints and was named in several lawsuits. In an April 2020 interview with STIM Radio host Maxwell Thomas Silverhammer, Kroll stated, “I’ve been involved in three shootings myself, and not a one of them has bothered me. Maybe I’m different.”

Alongside his violent career as a Minneapolis police officer, Kroll served as the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis from 2015 to 2021.

“Police unions are not real unions, and police officers are not real workers. Police protect property and the rights of the ruling class. They don’t protect community,” said Angel Smith-El, an organizer with Minneapolis for Community Control of the Police. Several community organizations and a number of labor groups, including Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Nurses Association, and Minnesota AFL-CIO, called for Kroll’s resignation as police federation president after his comments in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

Just days after that tragedy, Kroll sent a letter to police federation members praising their response to the protests, defending the officers who murdered George Floyd, and lamenting that MPD officers were “held back” from using sufficient gas munitions and less-lethal munitions on protesters.

“Bob Kroll has played such a nefarious role in policing in Minneapolis and beyond,” said Noah Schumacher, an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice. “The fact that he has been barred from policing and has himself been involved in multiple shootings, which he refers to so flippantly, shows that he has no business in law enforcement anywhere. He embodies everything that the Trump administration is going to bring.”

Last weekend, Kroll’s attorney released a letter supporting his application to join the U.S. Marshals, which is involved in asset forfeiture, witness protection, transporting federal inmates, and providing security for federal courthouses and judges in Minnesota. While it is unclear what the selection process entails, the decision ultimately lies in the hands of the incoming administration.

Kroll’s bid for the federal position comes in the same week that the city of Minneapolis reached a tentative agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the form of a consent decree that would purportedly increase oversight and shift the department’s use of force policy. A similar DOJ consent decree in New Orleans has already been riddled with conflicts of interest, including a number of former New Orleans Police Department leaders on the payroll of the organization tasked with overseeing the consent decree. It is unclear how the existing consent decrees and other ongoing federal police reforms will be impacted by the Trump administration, which has been vocally supportive of militarized policing and violent crackdowns on political dissent.

Trump has repeatedly called for qualified immunity, creating another barrier to holding police accountable when they commit crimes on duty. The coming weeks and months will be informative, as community members watch to see how the incoming Trump administration will take up the Biden administration’s torch in the work to impede police reform and oversight.

On Monday, January 20, starting at noon, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Black Lives Matter MN, the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee and others will protest under the slogan “Fight for MLK’s Dream. Resist Trump’s Nightmare.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #Trump #MLK #TCC4J #BLM #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, December 8, the Minnesota Anti War Committee held their annual Human Rights Day action. 200 protesters gathered in Minneapolis’s Washburn Fair Oaks Park and marched down the busy Nicollet Avenue, shouting demands for human rights for all and calling on the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest from apartheid Israel and weapons manufacturers.

Every year, Human Rights Day is celebrated internationally to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects the inalienable rights of every person. During this Human Rights Day, protesters connected different struggles, including healthcare and abortion access, immigrant rights, police abolition, climate justice, land back, and anti-imperialism, to call for an end to human rights abuses in the U.S. and those sponsored by the U.S. abroad.

Abdullah Muhammad, a member of the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine said, “Our unity today underscores a profound truth, the struggles for justice are interconnected.”

This protest heard speeches from the Anti-War Committee, Health Care Workers 4 Palestine, Climate Justice Committee, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, American Muslims for Palestine, Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and Minnesota Workers United.

Robyn Harbison, a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, stated, “Countries are not playgrounds, nations are not chess pieces, nations are the people.” Connecting abortion access to the broader fight for human rights, Harbison asserted the “commitment in demanding better for the working class, our trans family, undocumented sisters, and victims of police violence.” Harbison is an outspoken Palestine solidarity activist and is fighting felony charges for protesting for Palestine at the University of MN.

Nicholas Tolliver, a member of the Anti-War Committee, stated that imperial powers, “monopolize access to resources and secure global supply chains on a planet that is being suffocated by climate change and ecological collapse caused by capitalist production and resource extraction.”

In order to stop imperial violence and human rights abuses, Tolliver stated, “divestment is one of the most powerful tools that we, living here in the imperial core, have to fight against imperialist human rights violations.”

The Minnesota State Board of Investment, which controls and organizes public workers’ pensions and state investments funded by taxpayers, invests $5.4 billion in public assets belonging to entities complicit or profiting from the Israeli apartheid and genocide. They are holding their quarterly meeting this Tuesday, December 10, at 10 a.m. in the Department of Administration Building, where the Minnesota Free Palestine Coalition is planning to pack the room.

The MN Anti-War Committee Human Rights Day protest was also a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for a week of action.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #MNAWC #AMP #MinneapolisFederationofTeachers #HealthcareWorkersforPalestine #CJC #MAAC #MIRAC #MWU

Minneapolis, MN – More than 75 community members and day laborers gathered on Lake Street in Minneapolis to call for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ecuadorians and show their willingness to fight on behalf of their immigrant coworkers and neighbors. During the rally, Lake Street was dense with cars and passersby; the rally was interspersed with their honks, raised fists, and other expressions of support.

TPS is a temporary immigration status for nationals of a particular country. Some currently designated TPS countries include Afghanistan, El Salvador, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, and more. A granting of TPS allows certain nationals from the designated country to remain in the U.S. for two years, apply for a work permit, and receive protection from deportation. The president can choose to renew TPS every two years. Through this rally, MIRAC is calling on President Biden to use his last months in office to grant TPS to Ecuadorians who are fleeing organized crime, violence and the negative impacts of climate change in Ecuador.

As Cory Maria Dack, an Ecuadorian American and member of MIRAC, explains in the rally, “Ecuadorians deserve to live and work and thrive without fear of deportation. Granting them TPS will also benefit the economy. Minnesota currently has an employee shortage. Businesses are reporting a shortage of workers. Ecuadorians are ready to work! Give them the documentation so they can work legally. But more than any other reason, Ecuadorians deserve TPS because we all know that no human is illegal. Every human deserves to live and work and provide for their families!”

The people at the rally also heard from two Ecuadorian day laborers on why TPS is so important. As one day laborer explains, “Why do we come to the United States? We come here because the situation in Ecuador is very difficult. There is a lot of violence. There is corruption. And there is no work. We love our country. But out of necessity we had to make the most difficult decision of our lives to leave our homeland. If one cannot ensure the safety of our family and cannot ensure that there is food for our children, something has to be done.” [Translated from Spanish]

Another day laborer details the frequent challenges that the day laborers face. A pressing issue for all day laborers is the risk of underpayment and wage theft. However, she points out that “for women workers there are other risks as well. For us, we are often paid less because we are women. For us, there is the risk of sexual harassment. At the parada [the location where day laborers wait for work] and on the job.” [Translated from Spanish]

Neil Radford, a union member of Minnesota Federation of Teachers Local 59 and member of Minnesota Workers United, spoke at the rally to express solidarity with Ecuadorian and other immigrants, stating “Immigrants, or our unhoused neighbors, or anyone who struggles and fights every day for their survival and the well being of their loved ones, these people are not our enemies. They do not strip away from our security, or our ability to make a living. Immigrants come here to live in peace, to work and raise families, to find connection and support.”

Radford continued, “We must allow no divisions to be manufactured within the international working class. The only division that matters at all is between those who seek to rule and control, and those who are oppressed and victimized.”

The protest was led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and featured speakers from first-generation Ecuadorian immigrants, Minnesota Workers United, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles.

#MinneapolisMN #MIRAC #MNWorkersUnited #AsambleaDeDerechosCiviles #TPS #Ecuador

Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, October 14 over 50 protesters gathered together on Indigenous People’s Day to tell Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that he is not welcome in Minneapolis. Vance attended a private fundraiser in Minneapolis the same day, and held a press conference at the burned down Minneapolis former 3rd Precinct police station.

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) as part of a national week of action called by the Legalization for All Network to stand with Haitian immigrants in the fight for legalization for all, in the face of the intensely racist anti-immigrant rhetoric spewed by right-wing politicians at every turn.

Vance and the Trump administration continuously dehumanize immigrants to fuel their campaign that champions racist inequality above all else. Vance has been a major player in spreading disgusting lies about Haitian immigrants consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio. Since these lies have been popularized, threats and vandalism targeting Springfield immigrants have forced families to shelter at home, many too afraid to send their children to school.

The protest began with chants of “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” as the crowd prepared to listen to speeches and hold banners and signs to the honks of supportive cars driving by.

A speaker from the Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota called out the anti-immigrant lie Vance has been spewing that Haitian immigrants eat dogs and cats. “It was like watching a horror show because we know that it’s a lie.”

She continued: “The empty rhetoric that Trump and JD Vance are pushing regarding Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio is false propaganda due to a lack of sound plans to address serious and difficult issues such as global warming, homelessness, inflation, health care costs, and so forth. Without migrants the economy would be in a dire situation. The hospitality industry, the construction industry, and the agricultural industry rely heavily on the labor of immigrants.”

Alfreda Daniels, a Liberian immigrant and co-founder of the Black Immigrant Collective also spoke to the despicable use of immigrants as scapegoats to the country’s issues and how immigrants must be welcome regardless of how they came here, stating, “When I hear people like Vance and Trump say that people need to come in the right way, tell me, what is the right way? There is no ‘right way.’”

Protesters also heard from Noah Schumacher with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) about the connections between struggles against oppression around the world and the fight for community control of the police, as, little did the crowd know, JD Vance was telling racist lies in his meeting with the Minneapolis Police Department outside of the former 3rd Precinct around the same time.

Schumacher stated, “Many of us here in the U.S. are so indoctrinated with the myths of how great the American Revolution is, we are never taught about the revolution that was a real leap forward for humanity: the Haitian Revolution. In Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, we see how the struggles for Haiti, Palestine, and across the globe are connected to our struggles here to get community control of the police.”

The protest concluded with a passionate speech from Mari Mansfield with MIRAC in support of legalization for all: “We have to stand up and fight back. We have to fight for immigrants, for the people who walked across the earth to be here, for the people who carried their children on their backs to be here. And to do that, we need legalization for all!”

The protest was led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and featured speakers from the Black Immigrant Collective, Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota, Black Lives Matter, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee and the MN Anti-War Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Haiti #MIRAC #HJCMN #BLM #MNAAC #MNAWC #TCC4J #Vance #Trump #Feature

MIRAC condemns the dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric from Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Republicans across the country who aim to advance one thing only—white supremacy.

The baseless accusations of Haitian immigrants consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio, is just another page in the long history of white supremacy in the United States. An openly neo-Nazi group, the Blood Tribe, is taking credit for the false rumors and celebrating the increased threats against immigrants. The armed neo-Nazis are not even locals—they invaded Springfield over a year ago with the goal of terrorizing immigrant communities. They have openly waved swastika flags in the air and waved their guns at local immigrants.

Let’s be clear—anti-immigrant, pet-eating rhetoric is not new. Every time it’s been used, it’s been followed by spikes of violence against immigrants. Sure, any average person knows that these claims are absurd and ridiculous. Hence, the avalanche of kitten and puppy memes meant to be laughed at. Unfortunately, white supremacy is very real, and the violence is genuine. Threats and vandalism targeting Springfield immigrants since the debate have forced immigrant families to shelter at home, many too afraid to send their children to school.

And let’s get this straight—immigrants saved Springfield, Ohio, just like they’ve saved cities across the United States. Springfield was a dying city. With the city population declining and manufacturers desperate for workers, they turned to immigrants to help revive their city and fill their abandoned neighborhoods. Springfield used immigrants to bring their city back to life, so they better be ready to push out the neo-Nazis invaders.

We must be prepared for the continued rise in anti-immigrant hate speech and call it for what it is—the intentional effort to ramp up white supremacy before the election. We cannot underestimate how dangerous it is.

And we can't blame Republican rhetoric only. Democratic candidates’ refusal to condemn this terror is just as dangerous. We call out Harris and Walz for their silence and demand they speak up in support of immigrants.

MIRAC calls upon all people to stand militantly in solidarity with immigrants and to be ready to take the streets to fight for immigrant rights and demand legalization for all! When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!

#ImmigrantRights #Statement #MIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – For the seventh year running, community members disrupted the Twin Cities Pride parade, June 30, to protest the inclusion of cops and corporations. Their inclusion comes at the expense of queer community members who want the event to honor the spirit of radical resistance Pride came out of and to continue the fight for LGBTQ liberation. This year, more than 1000 protesters marched with the Taking Back Pride Coalition for not only LGBTQ liberation, but especially for Palestinian liberation.

TC Pride is one of the largest such events in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people. Taking Back Pride, a coalition initiated by Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), took the street in protest ahead of the corporate-sponsored parade.

The first Taking Back Pride protest focused on demanding an end to police presence in the parade and the festival, but organizers soon expanded their demands to address Pride’s failure to address the needs of Black, brown and indigenous community members, especially trans folks. They have long called on Pride to break ties with the corporations that dominate the parade and festival.

As TCC4J organizer Loretta VanPelt put it, “These corporations funnel millions of dollars into conservative campaigns and laws, they pollute the planet, they support war and genocide. Then once a year they throw a rainbow on their logo and think we’ll just forget all that. But we remember and we want to remind people that our rights as LGBT people are far from secure and that these corporations only care about us when we’re profitable.”

The first Pride march was held in New York City in 1970, marking one year after the Stonewall rebellion, when LGBTQ folks fought back against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar. The confrontation lasted five nights where, with bricks and molotov cocktails, the community fought back against police terror. This was the time when the LGBTQ liberation made strong connections to other movements, from the Black liberation movement to the movement to end U.S. war in Vietnam. Cities across the country continue to celebrate Pride, but most of these events, including in Minneapolis, have devolved to a party for tourists instead of a political event commemorating the Stonewall uprising against police brutality.

Hundreds of anti-trans bills are set to pass in the next year. Black and brown people continue to be brutalized and killed by police. 40,000 Palestinians have been murdered since October 7. Taking Back Pride Coalition organizers say TC Pride is complicit in these injustices, through silence, inaction and even making space for the FBI, the National Guard, and weapons manufacturers to participate.

A statement by organizers said, “We refuse to allow this disgusting pinkwashing of genocide to continue unchallenged. We march for a free Palestine and an end to all imperialist occupations, for substantive accountability for those impacted by police brutality through community control, for our queer and trans siblings who have been stolen by violence, and for true queer liberation. We march to honor the legacy of Black and brown trans women and nonbinary people who fought for the rights and acceptance of all LGBTQ people.”

Led by Bikers Riding Against Police Brutality (BRAPB), a social justice motorcycle group, and Fury du Nord – a queer and trans motorcycle riding club, protesters marched the same route as the corporate parade, to the beat of the Yalla Drum group and the Unlawful Assembly Marching Band. The corporate parade was delayed, as protesters stopped every few blocks for speakers and performance. One powerful stop was a die-in, where the names of trans people killed in the last year were read aloud. Parade organizers and security complained about delays, but most onlookers were supportive, joining in many of the chants. Some even left the sidelines and joined the march.

The protest ended with multiple actions inside the massive Pride festival at Loring Park. First, protesters took over the Stonewall Stage. Organizer Jae Yates explained the reason for the protest, and then Levi Lake spoke in tribute to Liara Tsai, a trans DJ who was killed just the week before.

Smaller groups broke off to disrupt problematic festival vendors. The FBI and the National Guard both had booths, aiming to recruit from the LGBTQ community. Protesters blocked their booths with massive banners and addressed the crowds of people about their role in oppressing people’s movements at home and abroad. Another group disrupted the Target corporation photobooth, by displaying images of Palestinian martyrs as a protest of the U.S.-backed genocide.

In addition to TCC4J, the Taking Back Pride Coalition includes Anti War Committee MN, Bikers Riding Against Police Brutality, Climate Justice Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, MN Abortion Action Committee, MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, MN Workers United, People’s Pride, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, Unlawful Assembly Marching Band, and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #TakingBackPride #TCC4J #WAMM #AntiWarCommitteeMN #Pride #LGBTQLiberation #StandUpFightBack #FreePalestine #MIRAC #SDS #UMNSDS #TwinCitiesPride #TwinCities #Stonewall

Minneapolis, MN – On June 8, 75 people gathered to protest President Biden’s executive order closing the border and restricting asylum. Immediately after Biden issued the order on Tuesday, June 4, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) called an emergency protest to oppose his action.

Biden’s executive order closes the U.S./Mexico border and severely restricts asylum. It is a continuation of Donald Trump’s repressive immigration policies and is a copy of the ban Trump tried to put into effect before he was blocked by the federal courts. During his presidential campaign of 2020, Biden sharply criticized Trump’s immigration policies and decried his efforts to restrict asylum. Biden is openly breaking his campaign promises and shifting U.S. immigration politics to the far right.

Susana De León, an immigration lawyer and community organizer, talked about the politicians’ hateful rhetoric: “Everything continues to be blamed on Black and brown bodies, indigenous people, and people who have been left out of the system by the same corporations that are now enjoying the highest profits while we have to get food at the highest prices ever.”

The location of the protest was significant. Protesters rallied in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood, a block away from where dozens of day laborers gather daily in desperate search of jobs to feed themselves and their families. The majority of the day laborers are immigrants who recently arrived from Ecuador, driving home the stark reality that President Biden is taking only repressive actions against immigrants while national pressure builds for Biden to grant Temporary Protective Status to Ecuadorian immigrants.

Adriana Cerrillo, speaking on behalf of the Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration, told the crowd her story and why it was difficult but important to her to be at the action: “It is very difficult for me to be here today, because my own trauma and my own experience from this fucking system is really hard, it’s really difficult. This system has taken so much from me, and yet it is my obligation to stay strong, and the way that I stay strong is by being with and surrounding myself with people like you here today.”

Asylum is a human right protected under international law. Both Democrats and Republicans are using immigrants in a political game. Biden’s closing of the border and nearly total ban on asylum is dangerous and must be opposed.

We must take a firm stance against racist and repressive anti-immigrant policies regardless of which political party is in power. MIRAC will join immigrant rights groups from around the country to protest both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions this summer. Stand with MIRAC to demand no more attacks on immigrants and legalization for all.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #USMexicoBorder #MIRAC #Asylum

St. Paul, MN – On Friday, May 17, a crowd gathered outside the annual GOP Lincoln Reagan Dinner to protest the attendance of former U.S. President Donald Trump, sending the messages to defend reproductive rights, no to a Muslim ban, and of legalization for all.

Trump is known for his reactionary politics that impact working-class people. During his presidential tenure, the Trump administration enacted 472 administrative changes to dismantle and reconstruct the U.S. immigration system, increasing barriers to legal immigration and diminishing humanitarian protections. A prominent campaign point during his 2016 presidential nomination was to build a border wall along the U.S./Mexico border, while perpetuating racist rhetoric about immigrants as “drug dealers, criminals and rapists”.

Manuel Pascual, a member of Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), spoke to the crowd about Trump’s dehumanization of immigrant communities, stating, “He promotes hate and violence against immigrants every chance he gets. We saw what happened during his first presidential term. We witnessed racists come out of hiding to brutalize immigrant communities all over the United States.”

MIRAC has been fighting for legalization for all, an end to immigration raids and deportations, an end to all anti-immigrant laws, and full equality in all areas of life. MIRAC is currently working on passing the North Star Act, a Minnesota bill that would prevent local police from enforcing immigration laws.

Trump’s reactionary immigration policies have also extended towards Muslim communities, further feeding into Islamophobia. In 2017 Trump issued a Muslim travel ban, which blocked refugees and travelers with passports from seven Muslim-majority countries. The executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), Jaylani Hussein, spoke about the impacts Trump has had on the Muslim community within Minnesota.

Speakers throughout the protest highlighted the interconnected fights between the different struggles.

Alé Guzman Huaman, an organizer with Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), stated, “I was a junior in high school, and after his election I remember the sense of deep, deep dread, fear and hopelessness. What is going to happen to my family? What is going to happen to my bodily autonomy?”

The Trump administration and the Republican party have campaigned around restricting abortion access for decades. During his presidential term, Trump put forward three Supreme Court justices with conservative political leanings, the last being Amy Coney Barret, who was instrumental in the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

MNAAC was formed in direct response to this Supreme Court case. Since then, MNAAC has been campaigning around crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which are fake abortion clinics funded by right-wing Christian evangelical organizations.

Jeff Giering, another organizer with MNAAC, told the crowd, “I believe the rights to life, to personal liberty, and to reproductive choice are under attack by Republicans nationwide. They are under attack by Donald Trump.''

Giering continued on to pinpoint the connections between the Republican and Democratic parties, noting capitalism as breeding grounds for creating opportunistic politicians who only value human life as long as it’s profitable.

Manuel Pascual stated, “Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has pushed the Biden administration to further punish and endanger migrants seeking refuge in the United States. Let’s be clear- Biden is not our friend!”

Organizers faced some opposition from pro-Trump counter-protesters standing across the street. The counter-protesters yelled chants such as “Trump 2024” and simply repeating “U.S.A”, though their chants were thoroughly drowned out by the crowd starting chants such as “Sexist, racist, anti-gay! Donald Trump, go away!”

This collaborative action was coordinated by members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

These groups are continuing the fight against Trump and his agenda as they’ll be joining the March on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15.

You can follow their work on social media:

• MNAAC: Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook at @MN_AAC.
• MIRAC: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @MIRACMN
• CAIR: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @CAIRMN

#SaintPaulMN #MIRAC #MNAAC #CAIR #Trump #MNGOP #LincolnReaganDinner

Minneapolis, MN – On May 1, over 500 people took to the streets on International Workers Day to march for immigrant and workers’ rights. The rally and march was organized by a coalition initiated by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and MN Workers United (MWU).

Each year, International Workers Day is celebrated around the world with a call for solidarity with all workers and for union rights. International Workers Day has its origin in the fight for an eight-hour workday in the United States, where there were massive strikes and sharp confrontations in May of 1886.

The march began outside the former Minneapolis Third Precinct police building to support Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) and their fight for community control of the police. On May 1, they submitted petitions to the city of Minneapolis to put community control of the police on the ballot in November. The march continued to the Minneapolis Public Schools Center for Adult Learning to support Minneapolis educators in their battle for a just contract. It ended at the Smith Foundry to support the East Phillips community’s struggle to shut down polluting industries in this largely indigenous and immigrant working-class neighborhood.

An energized group of young people carried the lead banner with the rally’s six demands: legalization for all; community control of the police; end environmental racism and shut down Smith Foundry; divest Minnesota pensions from apartheid Israel; defend women’s and reproductive rights; pass the North Star Act; and support educators and fully fund public schools.

The action kicked off with a dance performance from Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue before launching into a full program of speakers highlighting the different demands of the march. Manuel Pascal from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee said, “May 1 is a special day for immigrant rights. In 2006, all over this country, it was immigrants who took this day back. We are living in one of the most dangerous times in history to be an immigrant and we need to stand up and fight back.”

Eid Ali, the president of Minnesota Uber and Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA) spoke about their powerful and successful campaign to pass an ordinance in Minneapolis forcing rideshare corporations like Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers the equivalent of the city’s minimum wage of $15.57 per hour if they want to continue to operate in the city. MULDA continues fighting for a statewide minimum wage for rideshare drivers.

Ali stated, “Last year, despite our efforts, our bill to support a living wage for rideshare drivers was vetoed by the governor. Today we are back stronger than ever, pushing that bill through the state legislature with the support of powerful allies and unions. Today we march not just for the rights of rideshare drivers but for the rights of all workers, we march for those who are tall in shadows and in light whose hands build our cities and whose sweat waters the seeds of our progress, we march because injustice to one worker is injustice to all.”

As the march made its way up Lake Street, construction workers along the route joined in with chants and raised fists in solidarity as the crowd went by. Many people in the neighborhood cheered, chanted, and filmed as the energized crowd continued.

Marcia Howard, the first vice president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) Local 59 spoke to the crowd outside of an adult education center just after a tentative agreement was reached in the teacher chapter and a 92% “yes” strike vote had just taken place for the educational support professionals chapter: “All the way across the world, let them hear what we’re doing, This is about labor, every act of service, every day you clock in, every day you get up to do something that ain’t for you, for somebody else, that is labor. And this whole city, this whole nation would shut down if it wasn’t for you.”

Howard continued, “Let me tell you – we are going to continue to fight for our students!”

Sasmit Rahman, a member of University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society and one of the students who were arrested and subsequently banned from campus for demanding divestment from apartheid Israel, was the final speaker of the march. Ragnan stated, “The workers have been standing in unconditional solidarity with the students and with Palestine! We are all struggling against the same common enemy – it's the capitalists struggling to protect their class interests using the military and the police to protect U.S. imperialism around the globe. But when the people stand united there's not a power on earth, not even them, that can defeat us.”

The crowd also heard from speakers from the MN Anti-War Committee, the Climate Justice Committee, MN Workers United, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice.

This year’s May 1 march was endorsed by 40-plus immigrant rights organizations, unions and social justice organizations.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #SDS #MULDA #MNWU #MFT #MIRAC #MNAWC #FSFAPV #TCC4J #Feature