‘Chinga la Migra’: National strike drives thousands to Arizona State Capitol to protest ICE

Thousands of Phoenicians expressed their discontent with the current administration on Friday, participating in a nationwide general strike in protest of escalated immigration enforcement activity that has turned violent and, in some instances, deadly over the last year.

The “no work, no school, no shopping” strike taking place across the country on Jan. 30, organized by numerous organizations across the U.S., led protesters to join rallies and marches in multiple Arizona cities.

In Phoenix, several residents opted not go to work, let their kids stay home from school and head out to march on the streets. Several Valley high schools saw students staging walkouts in protest and dozens of small businesses also shut down their operations for the day in solidarity with the messaging being chanted near downtown: “ICE out of Phoenix.”

Thousands of people gathered Friday afternoon on the lawn in front of the Arizona State Capitol near downtown Phoenix, holding signs that read, “From Phoenix to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror,” “Congress, your time is up” and “Chinga la Migra,” as chants with similar messaging reverberated across the area.

The national day of action comes on the heels of increasingly violent enforcement tactics in Minneapolis that have resulted in the deaths of two residents, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of federal agents. The two had been protesting enforcement operations when they were shot and killed by an ICE agent and a Border Patrol agent, respectively.

Prior to Pretti’s killing, Minneapolis led the nation in a similar economic strike, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies to leave the city. Friday’s strike amplified that call across the country.

For Forest Young, a recent college graduate, attending the protest on Friday was a no-brainer, saying he would rather use that day to speak out against enforcement operations than go to work. When asked if a specific recent event motivated his participation, he brought up the detention of Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old boy who was detained by ICE in Minneapolis, along with his father, earlier in January.

The photo of young Liam's detainment became a symbol of the lengths the Trump administration is willing to go to carry out mass-deportation plans.

Lalo on CALÓ

A 5-year-old preschooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken by federal agents from the driveway of his metro Minneapolis home Tuesday after returni…

“No child should ever have to live through that and there’s plenty of other children who have gone through that before and during this administration,” he said. “Immigration and the mistreatment of immigrants has always been a problem, be it Democrat or Republican [president]. But this has escalated to the nth degree… It’s more bald-faced and in-your-face now than it has ever been.”

Spider Montoya, a middle school student whose full name has been omitted to protect their identity, attended the protest with their parents, saying young people like them should be out to show this administration how vast the disapproval is.

“It’s everybody who knows what’s happening and feels strongly about it to be out here and fight for the people that need fighting for,” they said.

The strike comes on the heels of a large enforcement operation that took place on Monday across metro Phoenix at 15 locations of Zipps Sports Grill and as Arizona communities brace for increased ICE activity this year. 

A CALÓ News analysis of ICE arrest records, obtained via a FOIA request by the Deportation Data Project, shows over 6,000 arrests in Arizona during the 2025 fiscal year (from Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025).

As federal immigration authorities reportedly prepare a significant increase in enforcement operations in metro Phoenix, community leaders and organizers are calling on everyday citizens to show up and stand up for their immigrant neighbors.

That’s what motivated Priscilla A. to show up in support of her parents, who are immigrants, and a friend’s parent, who were recently detained.

“I think it’s important for us and younger generations to come and protest because we should speak out for those that can’t and continue that legacy of ‘we have a voice,’ and we can use it,” the college student said.

For Young, speaking up is vital to effecting change.

“As you age and you see more horrific events happening, it’s so easy to become overwhelmed with apathy,” he said. “It’s important for every age demographic to show up and be like, ‘you’re not alone and we’ve seen this happen before and it might happen again, but we’ll be here every time to fight it.”