This weekend, starting on Friday, January 30, anti-ICE advocates are calling for a nationwide shutdown and protests in response to the death of Alex Pretti by ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
These events have already made rounds online, with even high-profile celebs, like Pedro Pascal, bringing awareness to them, too. Here, we give you the essential info you need about the anti-ICE shutdown and protests, including what all will be happening and when.
What are these events?
So, two separate things are happening. On January 30, the organization 50501 is calling for a National Shutdown, which according to their website, is "a nationwide day of no school, no work, and no shopping." It also read: "To stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN."
In general, the goal is to try not to do those things as much as possible, but of course that might not be practical for some depending on work circumstances and situations. If you want to participate, do as much as you can that makes sense for you!
Then, on January 31, the group is planning a day of "rapid response protests" throughout the country called ICE Out of Everywhere. Here, the plan is to have communities in all 50 states protesting outside of anywhere ICE is. Read more about it below:
50501 is mobilizing for the “ICE Out of Everywhere” national day of action on Saturday, January 31st, 2026, where communities in all 50 states will come together to protest outside of ICE detention centers, ICE field offices, airlines flying out ICE victims, and Congressional Offices to demand the blocking of DHS funding until ICE and CBP are permanently removed from our streets, the abolition of ICE and dismantling of DHS, and justice for the murders of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and Geraldo Campos.
Where can I get more information about the shutdown and protests?
50501 has a handful of great resources to learn more about the events taking place this weekend, from how to join in to how to organize your own protest. See below:
Google Doc for the Rapid Response Protests
How can I help people who have been impacted by ICE?
If you can't partake in the shutdown or protests for whatever reasons, head to the story below to find out all the other ways you can still help those who have been most affected:
Christen A. Johnson is the senior lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers health and wellness, home, sports, astrology, food, travel and more for print and digital. She also dabbles in culture writing, and wrote Cosmo's first-ever digital cover story. Before joining the magazine, Christen was a lifestyle features reporter at the Chicago Tribune. Several of her health and style stories made the paper's front page. When Christen isn't digging through antique stores, she's likely drooling over home renos on HGTV, sharing her latest therapy revelation, redoing old workouts from her college basketball days, or trying to perfect her homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe. Follow her on Insta for BTS ~ editor life ~ tingz!
