Long Beach is one of many cities across the United States where several workers, businesses and community organizations are planning to partake in a national shutdown Friday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) Long Beach organizer Bianca Carrillo, student organizations in Minneapolis called for a national shutdown after the death of Alex Pretti. This strike is scheduled just one week after Minneapolis’ Jan. 23 strike where tens of thousands went into freezing weather to demonstrate, and 700 businesses closed for the day. After the group’s Jan. 25 rally, PSL decided to boost the call to action.
“No school. No work. No shopping. This is to put pressure on the economy … but [the goal is] to really make a big splash and turn the tide and use our collective power as the working class,” Carrillo said. “We’re not going to stand idly and watch ICE agents terrorize our communities.”
Protestors chant outside Long Beach City Hall on Jan. 8, 2026 against ICE terror, following the murder of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. They soon began to march towards Hilton hotel on Ocean Boulevard and Golden Shore. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
The PSL organizer said people can prepare for the strike by doing the following:
Spreading the word on social media
Choosing not to go to work or school
Refrain from shopping at any businesses
If community members decide to shop, they should buy from local businesses
The businesses shutting down Friday include Page Against the Machine, Long Beach Rising, Bel Canto Books, BYO Long Beach and Junia Café alongside over 100+ businesses in Los Angeles. Multiple businesses are staying open but showing their support, such as Plantiias (donating 10% of sales to ORALE), Good Time (donating 100% of cash donations to ORALE) and many more.
Students from all Long Beach Unified schools are expected to walkout and the California Faculty Association (CFA) encouraged its members to show support.
“What we’re seeing is millions of people who want to do something to stop the ICE terror and not knowing what to do next and what we’re seeing is that the general strike is one way for people can come together, realize that they have power in their numbers,” Carrillo said.
Protestors listen to guest speakers give impassioned speeches in front of Long Beach City Hall on Jan. 8, 2026. The Party for Socialism and Liberation Long Beach organized the protest in response to an ICE agent killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Jan. 7, 2026. (Justin Enriquez | Signal Tribune)
There is a potential for the strike to continue, depending on the interest in Long Beach and nationally on Friday.
“If the majority of people are saying that we should extend the strike or we should do another general strike, PSL will definitely be behind organizing that, but it really depends on the political situation,” Carrillo said. “It’s not really us [PSL] that’s going to call it, it’s the masses of people who are going to be making that call and we will support them in that.”
It’s unknown if that will happen in the future, whether it’s another one-day strike, a week-long or more long-term strike, but Carrillo said it will depend on unions, organizations and endorsers of the strike.
“There’s going to be challenges, there’s going to be risks to go on a strike for a day. For a lot of people, there’s more risk than others but when we act together collectively, that lessens the risk,” Carrillo said. “The more we can act together in a coordinated fashion, the more we can meet those challenges we face and we can overcome whatever challenges the administration and billionaires and elites will throw our way.”
Samuel ChackoPhotojournalist
Samuel Chacko is an award-winning photojournalist from Long Beach, California. Samuel currently works as a freelance journalist for multiple publications and he is a class of 2025 Cal State Long Beach graduate. Samuel loves watching sports (the Ravens and the Yankees) and taking photos.
Check out more of Samuel’s work here: https://samuelchacko.com/
