Activists planned protests at more than two dozen Target stores around the United States on Wednesday to pressure the discount retailer into taking a public stand against the immigration crackdown in its home state of Minnesota.
ICE Out Minnesota, a coalition of community groups, religious leaders, labor unions, and other critics of the federal operation, called for sit-ins and other demonstrations to continue at Target locations for a full week. Target’s headquarters are located in Minneapolis, where federal officers last month killed two residents who had participated in anti-ICE protests, and its name adorns the city’s major league baseball stadium and an arena where its basketball teams play.
“Target claims to be part of the community, but they are not standing up to ICE,” said Elan Axelbank, a member of the Minnesota chapter of Socialist Alternative, which describes itself as a revolutionary political group. He organized a protest outside a Target store in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown commercial district.
Demonstrations also were scheduled in St. Paul, Minnesota, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, North Carolina, San Diego, Seattle, and other cities, as well as in suburban areas of Minnesota, California, and Massachusetts. Target declined to comment on the protests.
The protests target the Richfield store where ICE agents detained two employees in a widely-circulated video. Activists demand that Target deny federal agents entry to stores without judicial warrants. Some lawyers argue that public areas of businesses are open to agents without warrants, further complicating the issue.
Target has faced criticism not only for its ties to the local community but also amid broader accusations of failing to adequately support immigrant rights, echoing a year previously when the retailer faced backlash for rolling back diversity initiatives.
The protests come as Target struggles with a public relations crisis that diverts attention from its business operations, with market experts noting the demonstrations take away focus from its sales and store conditions, further complicating an already tumultuous environment.
ICE Out Minnesota, a coalition of community groups, religious leaders, labor unions, and other critics of the federal operation, called for sit-ins and other demonstrations to continue at Target locations for a full week. Target’s headquarters are located in Minneapolis, where federal officers last month killed two residents who had participated in anti-ICE protests, and its name adorns the city’s major league baseball stadium and an arena where its basketball teams play.
“Target claims to be part of the community, but they are not standing up to ICE,” said Elan Axelbank, a member of the Minnesota chapter of Socialist Alternative, which describes itself as a revolutionary political group. He organized a protest outside a Target store in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown commercial district.
Demonstrations also were scheduled in St. Paul, Minnesota, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, North Carolina, San Diego, Seattle, and other cities, as well as in suburban areas of Minnesota, California, and Massachusetts. Target declined to comment on the protests.
The protests target the Richfield store where ICE agents detained two employees in a widely-circulated video. Activists demand that Target deny federal agents entry to stores without judicial warrants. Some lawyers argue that public areas of businesses are open to agents without warrants, further complicating the issue.
Target has faced criticism not only for its ties to the local community but also amid broader accusations of failing to adequately support immigrant rights, echoing a year previously when the retailer faced backlash for rolling back diversity initiatives.
The protests come as Target struggles with a public relations crisis that diverts attention from its business operations, with market experts noting the demonstrations take away focus from its sales and store conditions, further complicating an already tumultuous environment.
