The day of the “ICE Out” general strike in Minneapolis on February 13, 2026 was a vivid reminder that the class struggle is not confined to factories or farms; it now extends into the very mechanisms of state power that police the borders and enforce immigration law. Tens of thousands of workers, students, faith leaders, and community activists marched in sub‑10 °F weather, refusing to work, attend school, or shop in a coordinated act of civil disobedience that echoed the historic general strikes of the early twentieth century.
The strike was organized by a coalition of labor unions—including the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Service Employees International Union, and the National Education Association—alongside the Minnesota Federation of Labor and a network of faith‑based groups. Their demands were clear: the immediate withdrawal of ICE agents from Minnesota, an end to the federal immigration crackdown, and a broader commitment to a “people’s justice” that respects the rights of all workers, regardless of citizenship status.
From a Marxist perspective, the ICE Out strike illustrates the dialectical relationship between the capitalist state and the working class. The state, as the instrument of the ruling class, is used to enforce the interests of capital by policing the borders and suppressing dissent. By staging a general strike that targets the very apparatus of state enforcement, the workers are asserting their agency against the capitalist logic that seeks to keep them divided and subservient. As Trotsky once argued, the working class must develop its own consciousness and organization to challenge the state’s monopoly on violence. The Minneapolis strike demonstrates that consciousness can be awakened through collective action that exposes the contradictions of a system that claims to protect “law and order” while simultaneously perpetuating exploitation and exclusion.
Key moments of the day underscored the class dimension of the struggle:
- Mass participation: Over 30,000 people walked the streets, a turnout that matched or exceeded the largest general strikes of the 1930s. This level of participation signals a growing solidarity among workers across sectors, a prerequisite for a sustained revolutionary movement.
- Solidarity with migrants: The march included a memorial for Renee Good, a 37‑year‑old American citizen who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in January. By honoring Good, the strikers highlighted the intersection of class and ethnicity, showing that the fight for workers’ rights must also confront the state’s violent enforcement of immigration policy.
- Calls for a national strike: The Minneapolis event served as a catalyst for a nationwide call to action. The organizers urged workers across the country to join a “Day of Truth & Freedom,” encouraging a coordinated shutdown of work, school, and commerce. This strategy mirrors the tactics of the 1919–1920 general strikes, where a nationwide shutdown amplified the workers’ bargaining power.
The implications for socialist theory are profound. The strike demonstrates that the working class can mobilize against the state’s coercive apparatus, but it also reveals the limits of spontaneous action. The coordination between unions, faith groups, and community organizations shows that a professional revolutionary party—trained in Marxist analysis and skilled in organizing—can harness the energy of spontaneous protest into a coherent strategy. Trotsky’s insistence on the necessity of a vanguard party is vindicated: without a disciplined, theoretically grounded leadership, the class struggle risks fragmentation and co-optation by the ruling class.
In conclusion, the February 13, 2026 “ICE Out” general strike in Minneapolis is more than a protest against immigration enforcement; it is a concrete manifestation of the class struggle in the twenty‑first century. It reminds us that the working class must continue to develop its consciousness, build alliances across class and ethnic lines, and cultivate a revolutionary organization capable of confronting the state’s monopoly on violence. The lessons of this strike will shape the trajectory of socialist movements in the years to come.