The Socialist Program with Brian Becker Workers Shut Down the Twin Cities and Say No to ICE [Preview]
Jan 24, 2026
Hussain Karimi, labor reporter and former organizer who reports from the ground, describes a statewide general strike that shut down Minneapolis in protest of large-scale ICE operations. He captures the electric mood in the streets. He outlines the operation that sparked the action and how unions, community groups, and faith leaders coordinated a day of no work, school, or shopping.
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Coalition-Led General Strike Emerges
- A general strike in Minneapolis united labor, community groups, students, and faith leaders to protest ICE operations.
- That coalition-style shutdown signals a new level of labor and community militancy in the U.S.
Minneapolis As A Repeat Flashpoint
- Minneapolis has again become an epicenter of mass resistance, echoing the 2020 George Floyd movement.
- The city's history of large-scale protest shapes current willingness to confront federal repression.
Historical Parallels With 1930s Militancy
- The 1934 general strikes and sit-down movements reshaped U.S. labor, and similar militancy today could have comparable effects.
- The current fight pits organized labor and civil rights gains against a MAGA agenda seeking to roll them back.