Thousands brave frigid cold in Twin Cities 'ICE Out' protest

Geoff Bennett:

The Trump administration's immigration crackdown and ICE surge in the Twin Cities drew large protests today.

Amna Nawaz:

It was part of a general strike and walkout backed by labor leaders and faith groups.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro begins our coverage with this report from Minneapolis.

Protesters:

ICE out! ICE out! ICE out!

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Thousands of people braved bone-chilling temperatures this afternoon for a rally in downtown Minneapolis, protesting what they call a siege of the Twin Cities by federal agents.

For many here and throughout the Twin Cities, Renee Nicole Good has become an icon. The 37-year-old mother of three was shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Her image now appears widely throughout the Twin Cities.

Annie Rose co-owns the Lost Fox, a downtown St. Paul cafe that's a quiet refuge from all the tension outside.

Annie Rose, Co-Owner, Lost Fox:

Renee Good is the face of it. It's a face that people can feel comfortable with. She's a woman. She was a mother. She was white. And it's something that we can come back to and say, oh, they came from my neighbors and then they came from me. Well, that is something that we can all like resonate with.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Today, she closed the place, even though it's tough to lose a Friday evening's revenue in the slowest month of the year, she says.

Annie Rose:

It's already hard out here. Every January, I take out a no-interest credit card to make sure I can make payroll. This year, I'm going to probably have to pay interest on that credit card.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Across the metro area, hundreds of small businesses, especially restaurants, Heeded a call to observe a general strike, many in sympathy with immigrant-owned shops where business has plummeted sharply amid fears of ICE patrols.

Schools in the area also closed today. Labor unions led the call for the general strike, but the decision was made easier by today's life-threatening low temperatures.

Still, Annie Rose said she felt compelled to brace them.

Annie Rose:

It's all fear-based. You're afraid to go to rallies, whether it's cold. You're afraid to go to rallies because you don't want to be shot. You're afraid to stand up for things because of fear, and how can you live your life if you're constantly in fear? It's important to show my kids that, no, you can stand up for what you believe in.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

Protesters marched about a mile through downtown Minneapolis to the indoor basketball arena. The DHS gave no signs today of easing up on its surge in the Twin Cities in the days ahead. On Thursday, Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino was asked if there's a number of arrests agents were targeting.

Greg Bovino, Border Patrol Commander:

There is a number, and it's called all of them.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said 10,000 -- quote -- "criminal illegal aliens" have been arrested here, a sharp spike from the start of the week, when the agency put the figure at 3,000. But the department has released details of far fewer cases, which it calls the worst of the worst.

All this comes at a time of rising public scrutiny. ICE officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday during an immigration enforcement operation. At a press conference today, Marcos Charles, the head of ICE's deportation branch, said the boy was being cared for.

Marcos Charles, ICE Associate Director:

We do everything in our power not to separate families. So they took him back together to Minneapolis, to the city, to the ICE facility for processing. And now they are being well cared for at a family residential center.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

On Thursday, three prominent civic activists were arrested after an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church. The White House later posted an A.I.-manipulated image of one woman to its social media account.

When asked about the image, Kaelan Dorr, the White House Deputy Communications Director, wrote: "Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue."

At a separate anti-ICE rally today, roughly 100 people, including members of clergy, were arrested after protesting outside a terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Annie Rose:

I am slowly losing hope, and that is a problem, and that's what keeps me up at night. But then I go to rallies. Like, you asked me. I'm going to go to the rally, and that is to see hope in process.

(Singing)

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

For the PBS "News Hour," this is Fred de Sam Lazaro in Minneapolis.