A coalition of activist groups has called for a nationwide “national shutdown” this Friday, February 2, 2026.
Connecticut residents are also planning local actions as part of a boycott of work, school and stores to protest recent killings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protest is supported by organizations like National Shutdown and General Strike US, who are demanding justice for Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24.
Another incident that fueled protest was the killing of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen killed by an ICE officer in Minnesota earlier this month.
Protesters present the strike as a mass mobilization for systemic change. In Connecticut, the rallying cry mobilized community and religious organizations.
Activities kick off this week with vigils in Avon on Wednesday and Bloomfield on Thursday, where citizens will honor the victims and “name what is wrong.”
On Friday, large demonstrations will be organized in New Haven and New London in solidarity with the victims.
The movement also received publicity through celebrity support.
Actors such as Pedro Pascal, Hannah Einbinder and Jamie Lee Curtis used social media platforms to call for public involvement in the movement.
State and local law enforcement are monitoring the plans, although organizers emphasize that the vigils are spaces for “grief, truth and quiet resolution.”
