Amie Stager and Sarah Lazare at In These Times report Unions and community groups have announced a day of ​“no work, no school, no shopping” on January 23rd to oppose the ferocious assault on the state by Federal Immigration Authorities. Labor Unions in Minnesota are supporting the call, including Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, Service Employees International Union Local 26, UNITE HERE Local 17, Communications Workers of America Local 7250 and St. Paul Federation of Educators Local 28. Organizers expect this list to grow. Faith in Minnesota, a faith-based social justice organization, has also joined the call. Minnesota has a history of joint, coalitional action among community groups, Worker Centers and Unions. The mobilization comes amid a federal crackdown in the State, led by orders of the Trump Administration. On January 7th, an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident and mother Renee Good. A few hours later, Federal Immigration Agents tackled and detained a School Staff Member on Roosevelt High School property during school dismissal and sprayed students and Workers with chemical irritants, according to witnesses. Action by Federal Authorities has only escalated since then and the Department of Homeland Security said it was sending ​“hundreds” more Federal Agents to Minnesota, on top of the roughly 2,000 the agency claims it already has on the ground. Feben Ghilagaber, a Server for Minnesota Wild Bar and Restaurant in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and a Steward for UNITE HERE Local 17, said: “When your Co-Workers aren’t safe, nobody is safe. It’s a nightmare. When you’re driving, you have to look over your shoulder, to see if somebody’s following you, or somebody’s been stopped. Every move you make, you have to be on guard.” But, she added, Workers are in a strong position to take action since ​“this country is run by Workers.”

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: “We Are Facing a Tsunami of Hate”: Amid ICE Crackdown, Unions and Community Groups Call for Minnesota Shutdown in 10 Days - In These Times

Video Screenshot Courtesy Of The National AFL-CIO.