No Work, No School, No Shopping; General Strike to Protest ICE

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We gather in Minnesota in response to the fear and uncertainty that we feel on our streets, in our schools, in our hospitals, in our places of worship, and in our homes. We see you. We will tell your story, and we will follow your example of love, decency, and courage. Together, We will bring this nightmare to an end. And Bishop Buddy, who you just heard from there, says she's one of about 700 clergy members from across the country that's been in Minnesota all week long, and they're here again to show their support for immigrant communities in Minnesota. Number three, new details are coming out after we saw ICE detain an American citizen and bring him out into the cold while looking for two other people. The Minnesota Department of Corrections is now saying, one of those men has been in prison this entire time, and the department says ICE should have known that. On Sunday, Chongley Scott Tao says ICE burst into his home without a warrant and detained him at gunpoint. The U.S. citizen was released without charges. ICE says they were looking for two men accused of sex crimes, including a man named Lou Moa. DHS officials told the public Moa was at large. Turns out, he's been in prison since 2024 on a kidnapping charge. He's currently scheduled for release in January of next year, and he has an ICE detainer. Number four, as this bitter cold settles in across Minnesota, doctors are warning about the dangers of frostbite. Our Amy Coney Barrett-Leon has more on what doctors, like Dr. Tom Masters, an emergency physician at HCMC, are already seeing and the warning signs you should never ignore. Well, frostbite can really happen fast. When we're dealing with wind chills between 35 to 45 below, it can happen in just five minutes. Doctors say frostbite cases usually spike during the first deep freeze of the season, but this year they're seeing more patients with every cold snap. Experts say your body is your best guide. You'll see changes in your skin. Frostbite can often start with pain, redness or irritation. Fingers, toes, and ears, noses as well, those are most at risk. As it worsens, skin can turn pale. or numb and in severe cases, blister. If left untreated, it can lead a permanent nerve damage, even amputation. It's always this time of year when temperatures dip below zero, that emergency room starts seeing frostbite cases. But doctors at HCMC say this winter has been especially busy, which is why they say prevention is key. This thing is prevention. So just do not take this weather lightly. So, you know, if you're visiting from out of town, you know, whatever the reason you're outside, you know, make sure that you've got proper protection, you know, lots of layers, you know, wool socks, if you have it, you know, gloves under mittens, you know, whatever you can do to stay prepared for this weather is just critical. If you're going to be driving, make sure that your car is gassed up. You know, have a bag with supplies in it in your car. So, you know, with thermal blankets.

Just you can't take this slightly because it's potentially deadly and could cause long-term effects. So far this winter, HCMC has seen 25 frostbite cases. That's compared to 78 last winter. Dr. Master says prevention is the first line of defense, but if you do start to see signs of frostbite, you'll want to warm up right away. And if you start to see some of those more serious symptoms like bleeding and blistering, seek medical treatment right away. Those are the four things to know today. Now let's check in on our forecast. Hey guys, clearly the focus is the bone chilling cold. Next weather meteorologist, Adam Delrosso here with you. Yeah, it's going to be back down into the teens below zero overnight. Tonight wind chills will be in the 20s below zero. The only silver lining is that it's not going to be as breezy and technically not as cold either. But still, yeah, it is going to be bitterly cold through tonight and through the day tomorrow. High temperatures tomorrow will be closer to zero, but we still say below zero with a high of minus two. We won't have much of a wind either, but still wind chills will be in the teens below zero. Sunday will finally be our first day back up above zero with windshield still staying in the teens below. And now here's more to know. This afternoon, as of this recording, we're still waiting to learn if three people involved in a St. Paul church protest will be released from jail. They're facing federal charges after storming into city's church on Sunday to confront the pastor who also leads ice operations in St. Paul. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to charge the protesters and was in Minneapolis this week. Community activist and civil rights attorney Nakima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul's school board member, Chantal Allen, are among those arrested. They're accused of obstructing people's right to worship. WCCO obtained an arrest warrant, which shows one charge was crossed out by a judge who added the words, no probable cause. Levy Armstrong's defense attorney, Jim Jordan Jared Kushner, argues the prosecution is not legitimate. This is the government taking away our right to free speech. This is fascism right at work right now. The White House then posted what appears to be an altered image of Levy Armstrong's arrest to make her look like she's crying. You can see that image right now on WCCO.com. Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bovino and ICE Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal operations, Marcos Charles, held a joint press conference earlier this morning. During that press conference, they spoke about the individuals they took off the streets in the past 24 hours. Bovino cited arrests of undocumented immigrants charged with drug possession, child neglect, and prostitution. At this time, we're unable to verify those arrests. Bovino and Charles also addressed why they believe false narratives about the federal agency are being spread and how ICE agents plan to move forward. U.S. Border Patrol ICE and those allied law enforcement teams, we're going to take again these criminal aliens off the streets. We're going to take them off the streets wholesale. It's on. We won't quit. For us every day is about public safety, not politics.

It's a shame to see politicians and activists spreading fear in their own communities by creating a false narrative about what we do and who we are and who we arrest. Bovino also brought up child safety concerns, referring to the five-year-old that Columbia Heights Public Schools says was taken by ICE. Bovino says the child has not been separated from his family and is currently being detained with his father. We have new details on the Amber Alert we told you about yesterday. Now, charges could be coming for the man accused of kidnapping a 7-year-old girl and taking her hours from home. Police say 28-year-old Joseph Andrew Bragg picked her up after the school bus dropped her off outside her Zimmerman home. 700 volunteers and 200 first responders searched for her in sub-zero temperatures Wednesday night. Police say she was found in Bragg's pickup truck in Albert Lee. They say he has no serious criminal history and no previous contact with the girl, but likely knew about her from social media. The sheriff's office says they couldn't say more about the social media tie because the case is still being investigated. Minnesota BCA Superintendent Drew Evans has more on what he wants parents to remember. Luckily, we have a child that's alive today. There's a great work of everybody up here today, but we want to also make sure we're reinforcing that with our children unless the parent specifically is the one telling them to go with that person, that they do not get in a vehicle with that person. The Sherburn County Attorney's Office says it's preparing a case against Joseph Bragg. This morning, members of SEIU Healthcare, who work at health partners, braved the cold to hold an informational picket. Today's picket coincided with the statewide boycott to demand that ICE leave Minnesota. These health care workers recently authorized a strike if they can't reach a fair contract by the end of the month. But today's picket also linked their fight to a fair contract at health partners with stories about how ICE has impacted them, their patients, and their communities. Now to some sports headlines, cold weather edition. It's hard to remember warmer weather amid this cold snap, but it's been such a warm winter in South Dakota that a snowmobile event had to be moved here. Amsoil Championship Snowcross is a multi-leg event held over the winter months. The fourth leg was set to race in Deadwood, South Dakota this weekend. But now, snowmobilers will race down at Canterbury Park. Canterbury held the third leg of this event earlier this month. Organizers say they moved it here because they already had everything in place. So they'll be racing today and tomorrow. Also this weekend, hundreds of dogs will take to Minnesota's Northwoods for the state's largest sled dog racing event. The 41st running of the John Bear Grease Sled Dog Marathon will take off from Duluth Sunday morning. The full 300-mile event serves as a qualifier for the famous Iditarod in Alaska. Mushers can also compete in the 120-mile or 40-mile distance.

The race was altered last year due to bad snowpack, but it'll be back to its traditional course this year. It's time to take a breath with your daily bright spot. Lego is unleashing a brand new golden retriever puppy set. Fans are already pre-ordering the latest edition of the pet collection. At $140, the set includes more than 2,100 pieces and sits nearly a foot tall. Lego says the set is meant for adults, so 18 plus, and it is available for pre-order. The earliest shipping date is set for February 1st. Now I looked online to see what other kind of pets they have in this collection. And there really aren't many. There's a cat. There's like a little kind of puppy one. And then this golden retriever. And they should do more pets or more breeds of dogs because I think that would be really fun. I don't know. I think my husband would love something like this. He's a Lego kid and a dog kid now, now that he has a dog. Maybe I should get it for him. Sam, if you're listening, you didn't hear that. On that note, thanks for listening to Four Things to Know. I'm Maria Lizignoli, and I'm here with the news you need every weekday afternoon by 3 o'clock. Listen to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

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