Thousands rally for immigrant and workers’ rights on May Day at the Minnesota Capitol

A May Day march and rally for immigrant and workers’ rights drew about 4,000 to 5,000 people to the State Capitol on Thursday, according to the State Patrol.

Celebrated around the world as International Workers’ Day, the event focused on the policies of the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has slashed thousands of federal jobs.

“Musk and the oligarchs have money and control, but we have the power,” said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which has 55,000 members at 20 airlines. “Nothing can move without our labor.”

Nelson, a nationally known labor leader, began her speech by singing the first verse of the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever” — a cappella. Earlier in the day, she appeared at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to support airport workers and immigrants who work there.

More than a half-dozen speakers were featured at the hourlong rally at the Capitol, followed by a march in St. Paul. The rally was sponsored by about 50 community organizations and labor unions in Minnesota.

It was clear by the multitude of signs brandished by protesters Thursday that their grievances with the Trump administration were varied, including concerns about cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP nutrition benefits, the war in Gaza, the chaotic imposition of tariffs and worries about the broader economy.

Thursday’s rally is the latest in collective actions and protests here in recent months decrying the policies and actions of the Trump administration.

The Hands Off rally in St. Paul on April 5 attracted 25,000 people, according to the State Patrol, although organizers say the number was more like 43,000, and hundreds more throughout the state. Another rally on April 19 that focused on climate change drew 8,000 to 10,000 people at the Capitol, as well.

Organizers, including Indivisible Twin Cities, 50501: Minnesota and Women’s March Minnesota and others, say they can stage smaller rallies within 24 hours that routinely draw hundreds of people.

Many of these “pop-up” rallies target issues that have been in the news, such as one outside of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis last week after a Milwaukee judge was jailed in an immigration case.

Republicans in Minnesota have dismissed the movement, saying protests are funded by outside national interests pushing a “radical agenda.”

“Today is a reminder of the power of the people. The true power is in each and every one of you,” said Rachel Dionne-Thunder, co-founder of the Indigenous Protector Movement.