NEW YORK (AP) — On January 30, 2026, thousands of protesters in New York City joined a nationwide “National Shutdown” day, demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration crackdowns and federal enforcement tactics, particularly following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Rallies in Foley Square and marches to Washington Square Park featured calls for “no work, no school, no shopping.” Some local businesses participated by closing for the day, while similar demonstrations unfolded in cities across the country.
Protests centered in Foley Square, also known as Federal Plaza, in Lower Manhattan. Marchers carried large banners and handmade signs reading “From NY to Minneapolis: Stop ICE Terror,” “ICE Is Trump’s Gestapo,” “ICE Out of NYC,” and “We Know What We Saw.” Others held placards calling for the abolition of ICE and an end to immigrant detention.
Demonstrators moved through Lower Manhattan toward Washington Square Park, chanting and occupying sections of roadways as police monitored the march.
Organizers said the coordinated actions were intended to draw attention to deaths connected to federal detention and enforcement, and to pressure elected officials to halt deportations and expand protections for immigrants.
The New York City demonstration was part of a broader national day of action, with activists calling for widespread work stoppages, school walkouts, and consumer boycotts as a show of collective opposition to ICE operations.
Crowds remained dense and vocal throughout the afternoon and into the evening, with participants signaling plans for continued organizing and future actions.
Protesters carry large red-and-white “ICE OUT” signs during the National Shutdown Day demonstration at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan.Actor and activist Susan Sarandon marches with protesters during the National Shutdown Day demonstration at Foley Square calling for an end to ICE terror and deportations.A protester holds a sign reading “AS A NURSE I KNOW TOO MUCH = ONLY BURNS” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a handmade sign depicting a cartoon figure representing ICE with an angry facial expression during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a handmade sign reading “CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN CAMPS — ARE YOU HEARING OUR VOICES?” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “Since when does the U.S. government detain preschoolers???” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “DON’T BITE THE HANDS THAT FEED YOU” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a handmade sign reading “DUE PROCESS IS THE LAW” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “FIGHT IGNORANCE NOT IMMIGRANTS” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR THE LIVING” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “FREE LIAM RAMOS” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign featuring a cartoon frog making a peace sign with the words “Fuck ICE” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a cardboard sign reading “FUCK ICE” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign repeatedly reading “FUCK ICE” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign spelling out ICE as “Inhumane, Corrupt, Ethnic Cleansers” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “ICE GETS NO PUSSY” with “#MELTICE” written on the side during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.Protesters stand together holding a large “ICE OUT NOW!” banner during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protest sign reads “I.C.E. OUT OF NEW YORK! STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!” with “Hunter Committee to Defend Immigrants” written at the bottom during the National Shutdown Day demonstration in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “ICE OUT” in front of the federal courthouse during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “IF YOU SUPPORT ICE, EITHER EDUCATE YOURSELF OR KILL YOURSELF” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “IMMIGRANTS ARE NEW YORK” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a handmade sign reading “It’s a beautiful day to melt some ICE!” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “IT’S TIME TO RAGE” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds an illustrated poster reading “IT’S UP TO US” featuring an ICE tank and political caricatures during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “JUST SAY NO TO GESTAPO / NOT HERE / NOT EVER” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “KRISTI NOEM IS A CUNT” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.Protesters hold signs reading “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS MORE THAN YOUR GOVERNMENT!!” and “NADIE ES ILEGAL EN TIERRA ROBADA” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “No American Gulag,” with the ICE logo crossed out, during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “OPEN YOUR GOD DAMN EYES” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “OUR KIDS ARE WATCHING.” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a colorful sign reading “POWER TO THE PEOPLE!” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “I’m a Pretty Good American Citizen!” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign featuring a printed photo and handwritten message during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.Three protesters stand together holding handmade signs reading “Make 1984 Fiction Again,” “Minneapolis,” and “This Is What Motherhood Looks Like Now” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “STOP AMERICAN FASCISM” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a cardboard sign reading “STOP ICE TERROR” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.Protest signs read “STUDENTS & LABOR UNITE TO STOP THE DEPORTATIONS” and “ICE OUT OF NEW YORK” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “Superman Was an Immigrant” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.Protesters hold a sign reading “I HAVE TWO WOLVES INSIDE ME AND THEY BOTH HATE ICE” during the National Shutdown Day protest against ICE raids in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “WE REMEMBER” with photos and names of Isidro Perez, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, and Heber Sanchez, along with the message “DIED IN ICE ‘CUSTODY’,” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester waves a large black flag reading “We the People Are Pissed” above the crowd during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a sign reading “WHERE WERE YOUR PAPERS IN 1492?” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester holds a layered cardboard sign reading “YOU WERE NOT SILENCED US!” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester raises a sign reading “Fight the Power” and “Fuck Trump” during the National Shutdown Day demonstration against ICE and authoritarian policies in Lower Manhattan.Jay W. Walker holds a sign reading “ICE Is Trump’s Gestapo” while chanting during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.A protester raises a tall cardboard sign reading “We Know What We Saw” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.Protesters hold a large banner reading “From NY to Minneapolis, Stop ICE Terror” during the National Shutdown Day demonstration at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan.
Alt TextThree protesters stand together holding handmade signs reading “Make 1984 Fiction Again,” “Minneapolis,” and “This Is What Motherhood Looks Like Now” during the National Shutdown Day protest in Lower Manhattan.
