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Minnesota socialists tell workers to fake sick leave for anti-ICE protests
By Rachel del Guidice
Published January 21, 2026
The Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is encouraging Minnesota workers to use "sick and safe time" to protest ICE on Friday.
"Taking off work can be hard, even when there aren’t fascist ICE agents terrorizing our streets," a post this week from the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America states.
"But no matter what your employment situation is, we’re here to help you organize your workplace and participate in the strike on January 23rd — whether that means navigating non-union management or educating your friendly yet uninformed boss on why they should shut down for the day."
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Protesters gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn., in response to the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
Protests are planned in Minnesota on Friday to oppose ICE, which has faced heightened criticism since the shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis Jan. 7.
"Twin Cities DSA is marching and rallying with unions and other community members on January 23rd because this military occupation is a war on the working class," the post states. "Workers have the leverage. When we withhold our labor, the economy grinds to a halt. No work, no school, no shopping. Only community, conscience, and collective resistance to ICE and injustice. Let’s melt ICE out of MN."
Slides in the post also reference Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law, adding, if "you are out for only ONE DAY, you DO NOT have to provide documentation of the reason for your absence to your employer."
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High school students gather for an anti-ICE protest outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 14, 2026. (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
"Take a mental health day with ESST if you don’t want to explain why you’re not working," one of the slides in the post says.
The post also encourages workers to ask their employers to close down for the day if management is sympathetic.
"If your employer is friendly, talk to them about closing for the day," it says. "Trump and ICE are detrimental to business – if community suffering isn’t enough, share the impact from an economic perspective."
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Hundreds of students and allies gather in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 14, 2026, to protest the ongoing Immigration Enforcement Operations in Minnesota and to denounce the killing of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A separate Instagram post from a group called Ice Out of Twin Ports, which will be part of an anti-ICE march on Thursday and advertising a sit-in on Friday, says, "White folks need to put their bodies in the way and first do everything they can to make sure Black folks are not subject to police violence."
One of the techniques highlighted in the Ice Out of Twin Ports post encourages protesters to strike police officers, writing, "Push or pull the cop off the arrestee. Break their hold by hitting the cop’s hand."
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Another technique suggested to protesters is to "Open the cop car/paddy wagon doors and let people out. Learn how to break zip tie cuffs with a bobby pin and set arrestees free."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America and Ice Out of Twin Ports for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/minnesota-socialists-tell-workers-fake-sick-leave-anti-ice-protests-across-state