Washington [US], January 24: Approximately 100 clergy members were arrested at the U.S. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday during a protest against U.S. immigration enforcement, organizers said.
The faith leaders were taken into custody by local police after blocking roads at the airport's Terminal 1 departures area, according to the group Faith in Minnesota. The protesters were calling on airlines, particularly Delta Air Lines and Signature Aviation, to stop cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, organizers stated.
Tensions have escalated after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen, on Jan. 7 during an immigration enforcement operation, according to local media reports. The shooting triggered daily protests across the Minneapolis area.
At the airport, clergy members prayed together, sang hymns, and shared stories of people detained by ICE, organizers said. Faith in Minnesota reported that the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has deported an estimated 2,000 people. Union members also reported that ICE has arrested 12 airport workers.
The airport demonstrations were part of a broader mobilization on Friday called "ICE Out of Minnesota: A Day of Truth and Freedom," according to organizing groups. More than 700 businesses across the state closed their doors in what organizers called an economic blackout, urging residents not to work, shop, or attend school.
Separately, protesters blocking an access road to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, which houses ICE facilities, held their position for several hours, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. Before deputies issued dispersal orders, the sheriff's office reported that protesters threw ice chunks at vehicles, breaking windows.
Source: Xinhua
