AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets this weekend as nationwide protests continue against Trump’s immigration crackdown and escalating militarization. More than 300 anti-ICE protests were held across the United States Friday, including in Minneapolis, New York, Washington, D.C., Tucson and dozens of other cities. Thousands of others also participated in a nationwide general strike Friday. Democracy Now! was in the streets of Minneapolis Friday speaking with protesters who marched in subzero temperatures.

PROTESTERS: ICE out! ICE out! ICE out! ICE out! ICE out!

ROBERT BLAIR NDONDO-LAY: My name is Robert Blair Ndondo-Lay. I’m the director of engagement and advancement at FilmNorth and also the creative director at the Idealist Project. First and foremost, I’m out here to show that, well, we’re not going to accept it, right? These are our family, our friends, our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters. We have children. This country itself, as well as the state, is largely built by migrants and immigrant populations. And we’re not willing to accept what’s happening to all of our friends.

PROTESTERS: ICE out! ICE out! ICE out! ICE out! ICE out!

ANDI: I’m Andi. I live in St. Paul. And we are here marching on the streets because we need ICE to get out of our community. They’ve been terrorizing innocent observers and bystanders. They’ve been stealing neighbors out of their workplaces, homes, schools. And we need ICE out of our community right now. The whole city has been affected. Workplaces have been closed down. I have — I have friends that are scared to go get groceries. I have people who are scared to show up for work. So, yeah, I’ve been — I’ve been affected. This whole city has been affected.

PROTESTERS: ICE off our streets! No justice, no peace! ICE off our streets!

IZZY: I’m Izzy. I’ve grown up in Minnesota, and I’m an aspiring teacher. And I think that right now in this divide, our country lacks empathy, and I think we need to teach peace. We need to stand up for our human rights and protect our students and teach what’s right. With the current events, students are feeling less and less safe, and not only is that impacting their education, but their mental, physical well-being. I think that if you can’t feel safe in your own home, in your own country, how are you supposed to feel safe in your school?

PROTESTERS: What do we want? ICE out! When do we want it? Now!

RYAN: My name is Ryan. This is a protest demanding that ICE gets out of Minneapolis immediately. I mean, they came here to terrorize us, and they came here to suspend our constitutional rights. It’s a lot of anxiety, to say the least. And I’m not one of the people they’re targeting, but I still feel it. They need to leave our city now. Illegal paramilitary police forces have no place in Minneapolis or in America. I think they’re going to leave, because they’re going to have to leave, because no one is going to — this is going to be relentless. It’s time for them to go. And I think people need to realize that they came here not for a law enforcement action, but to terrorize our city, our citizens and our immigrant neighbors. And it’s time for them to go.

PROTESTERS: No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!

NOELLE: My name is Noelle. I’ve lived in Minneapolis for my whole life. And I’m just deeply concerned and afraid, but I also really feel empowered by the way that Minneapolis residents, by the way that neighbors have come together to support each other. My brother is a student at South High School, and one of his former soccer teammates, who’s 16 years old, was detained by ICE along with his sister. So, I know that really touched the South community, really hit close to home for us.

PROTESTERS: No more Minnesota nice!

TIANA: I’m Tiana. I was born and raised in Minneapolis and currently a resident. My sign here: “Renee. Alex. You?” Renee, you know, Alex, they were standing up for what was right. They were looking out for their neighbors. And so, really, it’s just who’s next, you know, at this point. I feel like it’s not an “if,” it’s a “when.” So, just really kind of realizing the danger that we’re facing here, you know, it affects everybody, no matter the color, the citizenship status. It’s really heartbreaking.

PROTESTERS: Immigrants are welcome here! No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!

CRYSTAL: I’m Crystal, and I am from the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation here in Minnesota. My family has been here ever since the — ever since we migrated to this space in Minnesota. My sign says ”ICE out.” So, I’m here today for my two beautiful grandbabies, so that their future, you know, is bright and opportunistic, and not a land where they have to be afraid to be themselves.

PROTESTERS: Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!

ALICIA: My name is Alicia. This is my sister Claire. And we’re here to protest for calling for a general strike and also to tell ICE to get the hell out of our city. I saw them at 26th and 27th and Nicollet last weekend. My sister and I went there to pay our respects right shortly after the shooting and to see if anybody needed help.

CLAIRE: We ended up — she ended up turning into a regular Florence Nightingale. She was there washing tear gas out of people’s eyes, and we helped somebody who had passed out. It was really pretty intense. So, yeah, that’s why we’re here. This is totally ridiculous.

ALICIA: Yeah, they have to leave. They have to leave. They have to get out of here. They’re terrorizing our neighborhoods and our communities, and it’s just not right. It’s not right.

AMY GOODMAN: Voices from Friday’s anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis, one of hundreds of protests that took place across the country this weekend. Special thanks to Democracy Now!’s John Hamilton in Minneapolis.

Coming up, we look at the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files and the DOJ’s decision to keep withholding over two-and-a-half million more files. Stay with us.

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AMY GOODMAN: “Streets of Minneapolis” by Bruce Springsteen. He performed his song on Friday in Minneapolis at a concert organized by Tom Morello.