Minneapolis Tattoo Artists Raise Funds, Awareness Amid ICE Crackdown

Tattoo designs capturing the anti-federal resistance movement have become a permanent reminder of the ongoing immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Mar. 3, 2026 at 12:07am

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As residents in Minneapolis donate supplies and raise funds for families affected by a federal immigration crackdown, local tattoo artists have also contributed to the growing resistance movement by inking designs on skin to capture the moment. Shops are donating proceeds from tattoos featuring anti-ICE imagery and other symbols of protest to support immigrant families with food, rent relief, and legal fees.

Why it matters

The tattoo trend highlights how the community in Minneapolis has mobilized in response to the heightened federal immigration enforcement, known as Operation Metro Surge, which has led to the deaths of local residents. The tattoos serve as permanent reminders of this period and the community's efforts to support those impacted.

The details

Tattoo artists in the Twin Cities have created designs like an ice pick labeled 'abolish ICE' and cursive letters spelling 'Be Pretti Good' to raise funds for immigrant families affected by the ICE crackdown. Shops have also held 'flash tattoo' fundraisers and sold merchandise, collectively raising thousands of dollars in a few weeks. Customers have lined up in the cold to get tattoos, including one of the Disney character Elsa wielding a Molotov cocktail, as a way to show their resistance.

  • The tattoo trend started in January 2026 as news of the deaths of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were fatally shot by federal agents, spread through the community.
  • Before federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, residents were lining up at tattoo parlors to get permanent reminders of the temporary immigration enforcement operation.

The players

Bobby Wise

A 32-year-old Minneapolis resident who has protested against the federal immigration operation and got a tattoo of the Disney character Elsa wielding a Molotov cocktail as a permanent reminder.

Jessica Haug

The owner of Gothic Knight Tattoo in Minneapolis, who has created anti-ICE designs to raise more than $9,000 for the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

Sarah Sequoia

An artist at Kaleidoscope Tattoo Collective in Minneapolis, where dozens waited for tattoos decrying ICE after the death of Renee Good became a turning point for the community.

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What they’re saying

“It sounds absurd, but it will actually make a conversation.”

— Bobby Wise

“What we're hoping to achieve is just providing a safe place for people to feel united and find strength in one another in community. Having a permanent reminder of the fights and struggles that we're going through right now is very important, and I don't think it's something that we should forget.”

— Jessica Haug, Owner, Gothic Knight Tattoo

“This has become so much bigger because it's not just people being angry, it's people being stolen. Normal people that have had no connection to activism are now realizing that they don't have a choice other than to be a part of what's happening.”

— Sarah Sequoia, Artist, Kaleidoscope Tattoo Collective

What’s next

Federal officials have announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, but the community in Minneapolis continues to grapple with the lasting impact of the immigration crackdown. Tattoo artists say they will keep creating designs to raise funds and awareness for affected families.

The takeaway

The tattoo trend in Minneapolis has become a powerful symbol of the community's resistance against the federal immigration enforcement surge, uniting residents in a shared struggle and providing a permanent reminder of this pivotal moment.