Irene Idris – February 23, 2026
As part of this year’s Political Talks Series, on Saturday, February 21, International Marxist Option held an event in solidarity with the struggle of immigrants in the United States, who are bravely facing raids, persecution, murders, and abuses perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the direct enforcer of the Trump administration’s repressive policies.
The meeting not only firmly denounced this reactionary offensive but also highlighted the powerful, unified resistance emerging from the grassroots.
Throughout the country, mobilizations are multiplying under the slogan «ICE Out!», an expression of growing unity among immigrant and native-born workers, young people, and broad sectors of the population who reject the racist and anti-immigrant policies of the Trump administration.
The event explained how the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, have become the epicenter of this confrontation. There, workers and their communities have organized numerous mobilizations and street protests, accompanied by the creation of extensive neighborhood watch networks, community patrols to confront raids, and solidarity funds to support affected families.
The role of teachers was particularly highlighted, who, along with parents, spearheaded actions and protective measures for students, including the implementation of virtual classes to ensure educational continuity.
In this way, educational institutions became centers of resistance and “sanctuaries” to defend children and their families against ICE actions.
The massive participation of the working class in the strike called under the slogan “No work, no school, no shopping” was also emphasized.
The exhibition also underscored that Trump’s aggressive attack is being met with a powerful wave of protests that reflects widespread outrage and a spirit of solidarity with immigrants. as well as the understanding that strength does not reside in aggressive rhetoric or isolated actions disconnected from collective mobilization, but rather in a broad process of organization and mass mobilization built from the ground up.
Trump is not invincible
It was analyzed that the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw 3,000 federal agents from Minneapolis, as part of the so-called «Operation Metro Surge,» represents a significant setback for its repressive offensive. This measure was clearly the result of massive and organized mobilization.
It was pointed out that this demonstrates something fundamental: the Trump administration is neither indestructible nor invincible, as certain media outlets that foster skepticism and demoralization attempt to portray it.
Faced with the Trump administration’s criminalization of those who, through their labor, sustain the economy and produce wealth, a response has arisen that confirms that class solidarity is an essential element for confronting the offensive of the ruling classes, particularly the one led by Trump.
It was also argued that the fight against raids and deportations is part of a broader struggle against a system that needs exploitation and oppression to maintain the privileges of a powerful minority.
Therefore, the political and class-based nature of this struggle was emphasized, as well as its evident national impact and significant international reach, given that it is unfolding within the world’s leading capitalist empire.
It was also highlighted that these struggles demonstrate the need to build a political organization of the working class, completely independent of the Democratic Party and any other party that represents corporate interests. The importance of grassroots spokespeople and leaders emerging was stressed, to prevent the force currently expressed in the streets from being co-opted or diverted toward electoral projects that, although presented as opposition or change-oriented, uphold the same system of oppression and exploitation that is currently attacking immigrant workers, the working class in general, and the democratic freedoms won in the United States.
The event concluded with a call to promote a mobilization process in Colombia and Latin America in solidarity with the struggle of immigrants, linked to an anti-imperialist response to Trump’s colonialist offensive against Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia and the entire continent.
