Dozens of faith leaders were arrested while protesting at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Friday, organizers say, as part of an effort to call for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the area.
The protesters were calling on airlines, particularly Delta and Signature Aviation, to “stand with Minnesotans in calling for ICE to immediately end its surge in the state.”
They say an estimated 2,000 people have been deported through the airport. Metropolitan Airports Commission leaders say they cannot legally restrict access to the airport for public or private aircraft operations.
Union members also said 12 airport workers have been arrested by ICE.
WCCO
Protesters sang and prayed together while sharing the stories of people who have been detained by ICE. During the protest, roughly 100 clergy members were arrested, organizers said.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission said it worked in advance with event organizers and provided a permit that determined a maximum number of protesters who could attend. The number of people in attendance “went beyond the agreed-upon terms,” MAC said.
Airport police arrested approximately 100 people, MAC said, who were issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failing to comply with an officer.
Rev. Mariah Tollgaard, senior pastor of Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minnesota, was one of the people arrested. She said that she felt it was her religious duty as a Christian to stand up for her neighbors amidst what she described as a federal occupation of her state.
“This is an extreme moment in Minnesota, Tollgaard said. “The [Trump] administration would like us just to comply and let them do what they say they need to do, but we have seen time and time again they are arresting U.S. citizens, they are arresting people who have permission to be here.”
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