SEIU members and allies take to the streets as part of National Day of Truth and Freedom in solidarity with Minnesota

On January 23, SEIU members in Illinois held an action in the Target on Jackson Ave. in Chicago in coordinated solidarity with the people of Minnesota under the banner: ICE OUT! National Day of Truth and Freedom. The Target corporation, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, has been criticized for its cooperation with ICE.

These peaceful actions are in solidarity with the people of Minnesota and the family of Renee Good, who was allegedly murdered by an ICE agent on January 7. Tens of thousands of people, many protesting for the first time, have taken to the streets to demand ICE leave the state. On January 23, from the Twin Cities to Orlando, to Columbus, to Phoenix, to Seattle, to Boston, to LA, to New York, SEIU members and their allies will demand ICE stop terrorizing our communities and harassing our neighbors as we mourn, organize, and resist.

Working people have moved the nation towards progress since the founding of our country. Workers, students and allies fought for and won Civil Rights, cleaner air, more access to healthcare, and more security for our families. On January 23, we continue the fight taking to the streets to make clear that we refuse to allow business as usual to continue while our communities, our members, and our families are being terrorized.

Trump and his enablers want to turn the clock back. They want us to keep our heads down. However, their divide and conquer tactics won’t succeed because working people, united across skin tones, languages, and backgrounds, are coming together with a loud voice and clear demands of ALL elected officials: 

1. ICE Out. Immediately withdraw federal paramilitary forces from U.S. cities and hold officials accountable for lawlessness and violence.

2. Community safety in. End neighborhood dragnets, indiscriminate attacks on citizens or immigrants, masked arrests, and enforcement in schools or other safe spaces.

3. Restore our rights. Stop racial profiling, halt retaliation for lawful speech and protest, and      rescind policies such as NSPM-7 that seek to stifle dissent.

4. Fight back. Oppose any federal funding increase that doesn’t restrain ICE abuses. Use state and local government resources to protect all community members, not for federal immigration enforcement.