Sunrise Movement Twin Cities

In 2026, a violent protest occurred outside a hotel that was listed on a Sunrise Movements Twin Cities document that had called for demonstrations outside of hotels where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were believed to be staying. One federal officer was reportedly injured after an object was thrown at them, and the hotel suffered damage, including having windows smashed and being graffitied. The protests were part of the group’s anti-ICE “Wide Awake” campaign. These demonstrations included using “whistles, instruments, car alarms/horns, and other noisemakers to express dissent and wake people up” outside these hotels.  ^{2  3}

Activities

Sunrise Movement Twin Cities is a local chapter of the Sunrise Movement, a left-of-center national nonprofit that claims to be “fighting to stop the climate crisis and win a green new deal.” Sunrise Movement Twin Cities describes itself as the “Twin Cities hub of the Sunrise Movement” consisting of “young people resisting authoritarianism and fighting for climate justice.”  ^{1  4}

In January 2026, one hotel was vandalized during a violent anti-ICE protest. The hotel had been listed on a document published by the Sunrise Movement Twin Cities that listed hotels in Minnesota where ICE agents were believed to be staying; however, the group said it was unable to guarantee the truth of the information in its document. The “rioters hurled items at people, smashed windows, destroyed the hotel’s façade, lit fireworks, and graffitied the building,” according to the Washington Free Beacon. One federal officer was reportedly injured when an object was thrown at them.  ²

The document published, entitled “Hotels Housing ICE in the Twin Cities (SMTC),” advocated for its “Wide Awake” campaign. These demonstrations included using “whistles, instruments, car alarms/horns, and other noisemakers t0 express dissent and wake people up” outside of these hotels. The protest was also promoted by the University of Minnesota’s Students for a Democratic Society, according to KTSA.  ^{2  3}

Sunrise Movement

The Sunrise Movement was initially founded as a student activist group primarily focused on climate issues. After the inauguration of the second Trump administration, the group began protesting federal immigration enforcement through its “No Justice, No Sleep” and “Stop ICE & Build a Revolution” campaigns. The group describes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as President Donald Trump’s “personal gestapo.”  ^{3  5}

People

As of 2026, Aru Shiney-Ajay was the executive director of the Sunrise Movement, a position she has held since 2023. Previously, she has been the strategic director, a hub coordinator trainer, and training director for the group. Before working for the Sunrise Movement, she was an organizer for Swarthmore Mountain Justice, an intern at 350.org, a fellow for the Pennsylvania Student Power Network, a fellow for NextGen Climate, a member of the organizing team for the International Peace Conference, and a student activist coordinator for Amnesty International USA. As of 2026, Shiney-Ajay was local to Minneapolis, according to her LinkedIn page.  ⁶