"Don’t go to school or work"…Protests against Trump’s immigration policy sweep across the U.S.

Thousands join demonstrations

Democratic lawmaker also takes part

A large-scale protest that began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in opposition to the Donald Trump administration’s hardline immigration policy has spread nationwide across the United States.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press and the UK’s BBC on the 30th (local time), protests were held not only in Minneapolis but also in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., among other places, against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Organizers, who staged the protest under the name “National Shutdown,” urged the public to “not work, not go to school, and not shop.”

Foreign media reported that from early morning, several hundred people gathered at the Henry Whipple Federal Building on the outskirts of Minneapolis, braving bitter cold. The protesters jeered at Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents, shouting, “Get out of Minnesota.”

Some businesses said they would close for the day or donate sales proceeds to support immigrants. A restaurant in New York said it would donate 50% of the day’s revenue to an immigrant coalition.

In Arizona and Colorado, some schools preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of widespread absences due to protest participation. At Groves High School in Michigan, dozens of students walked out on the morning of the 30th, refusing to attend class despite the cold of minus 18 degrees Celsius.

In Los Angeles (LA), which became the first target of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown in June last year, thousands gathered in front of City Hall and marched until evening. Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters also joined the protest, calling to “drive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of LA.”

The New York Times (NYT) reported that an unusual protest movement is spreading in which demonstrators knit and wear red yarn hats emblazoned with the slogan “Melt the ICE.” The pattern, which first emerged at a local shop in Minneapolis, is sold for $5 each, with more than 85,000 orders placed through mid-month and demand so strong that red yarn has sold out. Proceeds are expected to be used to support the local immigrant community.

As public opposition to ICE operations spread rapidly, President Trump said he would pursue “de-escalation.” Tom Homan, the White House “border czar,” also said at a press conference on the 29th that the number of immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota could be reduced.

However, with reports that the Trump administration has recently sharply expanded ICE’s authority, allowing it to arrest undocumented immigrants deemed likely to flee without a warrant, the protests are expected to continue for the time being.

Park Soo-rim, Hankyung.com reporter paksr365@hankyung.com