Friday demonstrations have started in Denver as part of national ICE OUT protests

Updated at 1:13 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

Protests are expected in the Denver metro today. Some businesses and school districts have closed around the state as part of national “ICE OUT” demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) that include “no school, no work and no shopping.”

The majority of protesters in downtown Denver were from area high schools, many of which cancelled classes due to an anticipated high number of student and teacher absences.

“Violence is violence, and people are people,” an 11th grader from East High School told CPR News. “I think that's why a lot of students showed up today, because we're just sick of injustice and the inhumane actions of our government.”

The protests come following nearly a month of violent ICE activity in Minneapolis and the resulting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents. Both Good and Pretti had ties to Colorado, leading to several smaller-scale protests in the state in recent weeks.

“They take somebody who dedicated his life to helping other people and curing the sick, and they shot him in the street. So that's why I'm taking a stand,” said Matthew Anderson Duncan, an oncology nurse who joined his wife, a teacher, at the protests. “People are out here suffering for no reason because of ICE.”

Ahead of the demonstrations, social platforms were flooded with small businesses declaring their plans to close for business on Friday in solidarity with a planned “National Shutdown.”

“The hospitality industry in Colorado is diverse and under a lot of stress given recent reports of heightened enforcement activity,” said Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association. “Our members are worried about their teams and their businesses, and we fully support them as they navigate operations in this uncertain time, in whatever way works best for their staff and their community. We are here to support restaurants with resources and information and advocate for them at all levels of government.” 

Leading the movement in the Denver area were teachers, who started turning in their plans to be absent from work on Friday. Districts said they had no option but to cancel all classes at the last minute.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

“My sign says ‘Silence sides with harm.’ I'm a firm believer that if you stay as a bystander and just watch what's going on, then you're choosing the wrong side,” said another 11th-grade student at East High School who joined classmates from the Students Demand Action Club. “Choosing no side is the equivalent of choosing the wrong side.”

This is a developing story.

Editor's note: As part of CPR’s community service policy and mission statement, this story has been updated.