People protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota occupied a Target store on Monday, calling on the Minneapolis-based retailer to forbid the agency from its property.
The protesters, affiliated with groups including Unidos MN, held a sit-in at a Target location in West St. Paul, in the Twin Cities area.
The Humanizing Through Story “advocacy platform” wrote on social media that the sit-in was “demanding accountability” from the retailer.
The protesters claimed that Target let ICE use its store grounds and facilities while carrying out enforcement actions. Unidos MN wrote on social media that “we’re calling on Target, a Minnesota company that profits from immigrant labor, to ban ICE from their properties.”
Last week, ICE detained two employees at a Target in Richfield, Minnesota, which is also in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Both were U.S. citizens and have since been released, Minnesota State Rep. Michael Howard, a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, told the New York Times.
Mr. Howard, who represents Richfield, told KARE-TV that both employees “were injured during this violent arrest,” adding that “this is a traumatic experience for anyone to encounter, and it’s just not right.”
Anti-ICE protests have been ongoing before and after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The Homeland Security Department contends that the agent shot Good in an act of self-defense after being struck by her car.
Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Times.
Target CEO Brian Cornell, who is stepping down from that post next month while staying on as the retailer’s executive chairman, is expected to meet with members of the clergy to speak about the issue on Thursday, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
