On Saturday, December 20, 2025, thousands of people marched along East Lake Street in south Minneapolis in a demonstration opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota. The crowd gathered in freezing temperatures and moved through Lake Street’s central commercial corridor, drawing participation from immigrant communities and supporters across the Twin Cities. The march took place amid heightened federal immigration enforcement known as “Operation Metro Surge,” which has resulted in hundreds of arrests in the region in recent weeks. Local media described the turnout as numbering in the thousands, though no official attendance count was released.
The opening images document organizers from COPAL1 preparing for the march—first gathering indoors, traveling by bus, and practicing chants on the street before entering the demonstration. The remaining photographs show the march as it unfolded along Lake Street, capturing a wide range of participants, signs, and moments from across the crowd.
Footnotes:
- COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina) is a Minnesota grassroots organization founded in 2018 that focuses on building community power, supporting immigrant and Latino/Latine families, and advancing civic participation, workers’ rights, housing access, and social justice through organizing and advocacy.  ↩
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