{"id":117050,"date":"2026-01-30T04:08:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T04:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/117050\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T04:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T04:08:06","slug":"nyc-joins-national-shutdown-friday-to-protest-ice-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/117050\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC joins National Shutdown Friday to protest ICE operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wide range of residents, businesses and labor organizers across New York City are joining the strike on Friday for a day of no work, no school and no shopping. The action is meant to protest the federal immigration enforcement operations that have left at least eight people dead<\/a> in the first month of 2026.<\/p>\n

The movement is part of the broader National Shutdown campaign<\/a>, which grew from the deaths of those killed by ICE agents or who died at ICE detention: Alex Pretti, Ren\u00e9e Nicole Good, Luis Gustavo N\u00fa\u00f1ez C\u00e1ceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, V\u00edctor Manuel D\u00edaz, Parady La, Luis Beltr\u00e1n Y\u00e1\u00f1ez\u2013Cruz, Heber S\u00e1nchez Dom\u00ednguez, and Keith Porter Jr., who was killed on Dec. 31, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The strike comes as the Trump administration continues its mass deportation plans. The focus recently has been on Minneapolis, where the Department of Homeland Security has deployed 2,000 or more federal agents<\/a> in what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials called \u201cthe largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out.\u201d Epicenter NYC and community members have also witnessed individuals believed to be ICE officials across Queens<\/a> and Brooklyn as recent as Thursday evening. That local reporting reflects a broader trend observed in New York City.\u00a0Analysis from Documented<\/a> found that street arrests by ICE increased by more than 200% when comparing the final six months of the Biden administration with the first six months of President Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n

At least dozens of NYC restaurants, bars, cafes and stores have posted on Instagram<\/a> their plans to show solidarity with the residents of Minneapolis by either closing Friday or donating proceeds from Friday\u2019s sales to local immigrant rights organizations or local mutual aid networks.<\/p>\n

Not everyone who wants to join the national shutdown is able to. Many workers living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford to lose a day\u2019s wages. Undocumented workers face the greatest risk: protesting could expose them to ICE enforcement at a moment when many immigrant families are already staying home out of fear.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

National Shutdown organizers and supporters have suggested alternate ways<\/a> to participate:<\/p>\n

Provide child care or elder care for neighbors who are striking<\/p>\n

Offer transportation for people attending protests<\/p>\n

Bring food, water and supplies to community gatherings<\/p>\n

Avoid major corporate retailers and big-box stores, particularly those with ICE contracts<\/p>\n

Redirect spending to immigrant-owned small businesses after Friday<\/p>\n

Research the ICE raids happening in Minneapolis and across the country<\/p>\n

Groups that are accepting donations to support immigrant communities include the Envision Freedom Fund<\/a>, Immigrant Defense Project<\/a> and ACLU<\/a>\/NYCLU<\/a>. Organizers say that even small acts of solidarity send a message that the Trump administration\u2019s mass deportation plans are deadly and unacceptable.<\/p>\n

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