LEILA FADEL, HOST:
No work. No school. No shopping. That's what organizers are calling for today in Minnesota to protest ICE actions. Hundreds of local businesses say they will be closed, and unions have endorsed the day of action. That includes the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation of the AFL-CIO, which says it represents more than 80,000 working people in the region. The organization's president joins me now. Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, good morning, and welcome to the program.
CHELSIE GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Good morning, and thank you for having me.
FADEL: Chelsie, what do you hope this economic blackout will achieve?
GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Well, over the last several weeks, our community across our region and across our state have put together the most beautiful, the most bold resistance and community network of observers, constitutional observers and folks that are willing to step up and protect our neighbors. And it's just us with whistles and car horns going up against folks with guns and weapons and just, you know, having chaos all over our community. And that has not been enough. So today is about coming together in solidarity and pulling all of our collective muscle together to say, this has to stop. And it's a message that is beyond Minneapolis, that is beyond the state of Minnesota. It's a message where our entire country has to take this very seriously, and we all need to work together to make what is happening in our community and this occupation of our community and other communities stop immediately.
FADEL: The administration has called these operations targeted, that they're going after undocumented immigrants, undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Is that what you're seeing based on what you're hearing from the teachers, bus drivers, hospital workers and other workers your group represents?
GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Absolutely not. Every single one of our unions have a story about a member, whether they were at work or not, who have been illegally detained - folks who are here working legally with their papers. Some of the folks that are being arrested work at workplaces that have significant background checks that require all of your paperwork to be absolutely impeccably in order to work, and yet they are still being arrested and whisked away to a camp in the middle of Texas within hours of being arrested. And then they're in these facilities for days, detained - weeks at this point now - detained illegally when they've had every right to be working here. And it's just causing havoc and fear, widespread fear across all kinds of industries.
FADEL: And how is that showing up in the workplace? How are people being affected there?
GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Teachers are teaching to half-empty classrooms. Restaurants are having to close. Restaurants are asking for volunteers to come in and help so that they can keep their doors open. You know, projects aren't getting started on the timelines that they're supposed to be getting started on because the workers aren't there. And then the workers who are choosing to stay home are facing huge economic consequences. You know, we're coming up here on three weeks of this, which is when rent is going to be due for folks. Mutual aid networks have been built up all across the community to try and support these folks who are staying home. And we are working - our organization is working with detained members, and almost all of the detained members that we're working with were detained when they were on their way to work or on their way coming home for work. So working is just a life-altering decision for families right now and is causing great chaos in our communities.
FADEL: A megastorm is on its way. It's freezing in Minnesota. Will these business closures today end up harming locals who can't shop for essentials like food or other things?
GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Well, what's - you know, while everything is just so ugly that's happening right now, it has also been very beautiful. The - last night, I had heard over 600 businesses had publicly signed on, and a lot of those businesses are opening their doors today to be mutual aid sites for folks to drop off food donations and to be warming houses for people who need warming houses in today's extreme weather. And the folks here are promoting and supporting our small businesses, especially the ones that are standing in solidarity. And we are making sure that they have the patrons that they need to stay afloat during this significantly economic disruption.
FADEL: Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou is president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation of the AFL-CIO. Thank you so much for your time.
GLAUBITZ GABIOU: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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