The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-USA strongly condemned the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and all state forces under the Trump government’s anti-migrant and anti-immigrant campaign for intensifying impunity and violence against residents of Minnesota. ICE agents implementing Operation Metro Surge have killed two residents and abducted hundreds of immigrants, including their children, in the past weeks.

On January 7, an ICE agent shot writer Renee Good at close range while driving away from a group of agents. On January 24, two CBP agents killed Veterans Affairs Hospital nurse Alex Pretti for defending a woman being attacked by the agents. Both Good and Pretti were among those protesting ICE fascism in the city. Led by Kristi Noem, Domestic Homeland Security openly defended the crimes as legitimate actions and branded the victims as “domestic terrorists.”

Public anger and outrage against the Trump regime further flared over the agents’ impunity and blatant trampling of people’s human rights. On January 24, the people of Minnesota launched a general strike called the “Day of Truth and Freedom.” Thousands of businesses closed, and thousands of residents poured into the streets defying freezing temperatures (-29°C/-20°F) to demand the ouster of ICE from their city.

More people joined the protests after Pretti’s killing. Rallyists blocked ICE convoys to stop them from abducting residents. They also picketed hotels housing the agents and Target stores for openly supporting ICE operations. At the same time, people from Minneapolis, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and Sacramento marched in solidarity and denounced ICE fascism. National-democratic Filipino-American organizations across the US actively joined the protest actions in various cities.

According to Bayan USA, the people must resist ICE, CBP, and all state agents for their impunity, continuing occupation of cities, sowing of terror in communities, and abduction, detention, and deportation of families, including children.

The group also said the Philippine government must end its criminal collusion with the US government, for its complicity and refusal to defend Filipino migrants from illegal detention and deportation.

“Just as we have linked arms with thousands across the country to release our loved ones from detention in 2025, and just as tens of thousands launched a general strike in the Twin Cities despite sub-zero temperatures, we will not back down. We will continue to organize and resist state fascism, from the U.S. to the Philippines, until our people are free,” the group declared.