Across the United States, people are striking today to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown in Minnesota. The protest comes after ICE shot and killed Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

The general strike, or National Shutdown, calls on people to avoid work, school, and shopping in protest. “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country – to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” reads the official website. “On Friday, January 30, join a nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping.”

The statement continues: “The entire country is shocked and outraged at the brutal killings of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Silverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter Jr. by federal agents. While Trump and other right-wing politicians are slandering them as ‘terrorists’, the video evidence makes it clear beyond all doubt: they were gunned down in broad daylight simply for exercising their First Amendment right to protest mass deportation. Every day, ICE, Border Patrol and other enforcers of Trump’s racist agenda are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbours and sow fear. It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!”

What is a general strike?

A general strike is a mass movement of protest in which workers withdraw their labour across multiple industries. The purpose of the movement is to halt economic activity and place pressure on employers or, in this case, the government, to demand social change. This general strike asks people to also avoid school and spending money.

Who called for the general strike?

The movement isn’t led by one specific group but rather by activists across the country. The strike is endorsed by a range of associations, unions and activist groups, including the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, Palestinian Youth Movement, Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), Immigrant Rights Alliance GA, ANSWER Coalition and others.

Celebrities taking part in the general strike

Actor Pedro Pascal of The Last of Us has been a vocal supporter of the strike, sharing an Instagram post in support of the shutdown.

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