{"id":1760458,"date":"2026-02-12T11:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1760458"},"modified":"2026-02-12T11:47:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:47:00","slug":"sonic-warfare-how-musicians-are-using-noise-protests-against-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1760458","title":{"rendered":"Sonic warfare: How musicians are using \u2018noise protests\u2019 against ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1024\/0-0-1024-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437131.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/69623\/1\/musicians-protesting-ice-raid-minneapolis-noise-colorado-immigration\" data-article-id=\"69623\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.34\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"iceout\" class=\"img\" height=\"765\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1024\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437131.jpg\" width=\"1024\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Notes <span class=\"nowrap\">of Dissent<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-12T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"12 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"12\">12,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Sonic warfare: How musicians are using \u2018noise protests\u2019 <span class=\"nowrap\">against ICE<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>In the wake of brutal ICE raids in cities across the US, musicians are dusting off their instruments and banding together in an attempt to <span class=\"nowrap\">stop deportations<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-12T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"12 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"12\">12,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-12T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"12 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"12\">12,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/LauraMolloy\">Laura Molloy<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Since Ren\u00e9e Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were murdered in Minneapolis by the very ICE officers they were protesting against, life in the city has been drastically altered. Inevitably, swathes of the country\u2019s far right have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/01\/ice-conservatives-minnesota-dhs-protests\/685705\/\"><span>attempted to blame the new surges of violence and chaos on residents<\/span><\/a><span> and not the federal agents terrorising them. But behind that flimsily constructed facade is a truer version of the city \u2013 one that is hopeful and united even in the face of true horror.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the past few weeks, stories have emerged of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69498\/1\/minneapolis-tattoo-studio-chinga-la-migra-tokki-tokki-anti-ice-tattoos\"><span>tattoo artists offering resistance ink<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bonappetit.com\/story\/amid-ice-raids-running-a-minneapolis-restaurant-is-an-act-of-resistance\"><span>chefs delivering food supplies to their neighbours sheltering in place<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/2026\/02\/minneapolis-ice-mother-donate-breastmilk\/\"><span>mothers donating breastmilk<\/span><\/a><span> or<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/metro\/2026\/01\/mothers-of-massive-resistance-pta-members-organize-minneapolis-relief-efforts\/\"><span> transforming PTA groups into ICE patrol squads<\/span><\/a><span>. Meanwhile, local musicians have traded the city\u2019s historic venues for its freezing streets with a simple objective: keeping ICE agents awake.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2018No Sleep\u2019 or \u2018Wide Awake\u2019 protests began to crop up in Minneapolis in December, after the Trump administration launched \u201cOperation Metro Surge\u201d, sending more than 2,700 ICE agents to Minnesota in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-enforcement-ice-noem-minnesota-somali-db661df6de1131a034da2bda4bb3d817\"><span>the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out<\/span><\/a><span>. Their heightened presence across the state has abolished normality, halting business and education and stoking fear among residents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, when students of the University of Minnesota found out that ICE agents were allegedly staying at the Hilton Graduate \u2013 a hotel just a short walk from their campus \u2013 many were outraged. \u201cThis is something that is not acceptable to us on a personal and moral level. But also something that students really deserve to know about,\u201d 24-year-old Sasmit, member of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umnsds\/?hl=en\"><span>University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society<\/span><\/a><span> (UMNSDS), tells Dazed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7593595386833472823\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>To get the message out, UMNSDS began organising a series of noise protests, encouraging locals to gather outside The Graduate, and a handful of other hotels they claimed were housing agents, in the middle of the night to \u201cmake as much noise as possible\u201d, Sasmit says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Musicians across the city were quick to respond, trudging electric guitars, amps, saxophones, trumpets, drums and even accordions into the streets after dark. For the less musically inclined, the demos also feature hundreds of whistles, the small but shrill instrument that has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/09\/whistle-protest-trump-ice\"><span>become a ubiquitous symbol and tool in the fight against ICE<\/span><\/a><span>, their distinct blare a warning sign that an agent is nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>22-year-old bassist Daisy Forester has attended similar noise protests organised by activist group <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sunrise.twincities\/?hl=en\"><span>Sunrise Twin Cities<\/span><\/a><span>, where she and a handful of other local artists have performed mini concerts at night to disturb sleeping ICE officers. \u201cThe draw is that they\u2019re keeping us up, they\u2019re keeping us on the streets. We\u2019re not going to let them sleep peacefully in our city,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At the demos, Forester recalls playing until her fingers froze in sub-zero temperatures, as, one by one, the rooms lit up, blinds crept open and furious faces began to peer down on the street below \u2013 signs that their plan was working. But as well as disturbing ICE, the protests also aimed to make other hotel guests aware of who else was staying down the halls in a bid to disrupt business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe true impact of these protests is that they encourage the businesses in our city to stand with the community and to take a decisive stance on who they serve,\u201d Forester explains, and, indeed, Sasmit tells us that The Graduate has been boarded up in recent weeks, no doubt deterring any potential customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"7ea2a61a-ea61-4e9f-8ceb-b3ef009e8a62\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437132.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.32\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"nod_drip2\" class=\"img\" height=\"2268\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437132.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Notes <span class=\"nowrap\">of Dissent<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Noise demos, protestors say, also help to exorcise a collective frustration towards the occupation of their city. \u201cThey\u2019re very cathartic,\u201d Sasmit adds. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to fall into this idea of, \u2018well, this is the federal government. There\u2019s nothing that an individual can do\u2019. But at these noise demos, you<\/span><span>are directly in front of your target. ICE is sleeping right in that building.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, the action isn\u2019t without risk. At one demo on January 28,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kare11.com\/article\/news\/local\/u-of-m-police-arrests-67-protesters-at-graduate-hotel\/89-b0cbd79e-afa3-47f0-b1dc-429f7f26ad6f\"><span> 67 protestors were arrested<\/span><\/a><span>. After that, UMNSDS questioned whether they should continue, and called multiple emergency meetings to debate the issue. \u201cWe came to the conclusion that they are being so aggressive with us because our tactics are working, and that we can\u2019t back down now,\u201d Sasmit says.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThey are being so aggressive with us because our tactics are working\u201d <\/span><span>\u2013 Sasmit, UMNSDS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Sadly, Minnesota isn\u2019t the only state facing an increased ICE presence, with Trump\u2019s administration <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/01\/21\/nx-s1-5674887\/ice-budget-funding-congress-trump\"><span>increasing the budget of the law enforcement agency to $85billion<\/span><\/a><span> (10 years ago, the annual budget for ICE was less than $6billion), and deploying extra agents in major cities across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In Colorado, musicians are responding to the growing threat by taking notes from those in Minneapolis. When news of Trump\u2019s plans to ramp up the ICE budget first emerged, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/notes.of.dissent.mb\/\"><span>Notes of Dissent Protest Marching Band<\/span><\/a><span> sprang up in the state in response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Composed of former \u201cMarching band geeks\u201d, as band percussionist Colm puts it, they harness an integral aspect of US High School culture \u2013 the musical ensembles that entertain during sports games and parades \u2013 for good. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not the most popular kids in school, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Colm jokes about the patriotic tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The group began on Reddit, where former band members keen to make noise at anti-ICE protests started connecting. Soon, over 300 musicians began dusting off their instruments to head to marches or stage demos outside the state Capitol building. Some hadn\u2019t played for decades \u201cOur founder and current president was saying that she hadn\u2019t picked up her flute since 2006,\u201d singer in the group, Emily, tells Dazed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>They endeavoured to play short sets together, rather than simply make noise, and began meeting regularly, squinting at sheet music again and steadily building a repertoire of modern protest songs. Green Day\u2019s \u2018American Idiot\u2019 and \u2018Killing In The Name\u2019 by Rage Against the Machine \u2013 also staples for the \u2018no sleep\u2019 demos in Minneapolis \u2013 are strong crowd pleasers, as well as Black Sabbath\u2019s \u2018War Pigs\u2019 and even \u2018Bella ciao\u2019, an anti-Nazi Italian folk song.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Like Forester and Sasmit, Colm says that the presence of live music at protests helps to instil those attending with a sense of hope during what is an incredibly bleak circumstance. \u201cIt unites everyone, brings that energy, keeps people synchronised,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Watching as events in Minneapolis unfold, though, they\u2019ve realised that they\u2019ll likely soon need to ramp up their action to match the dangers that come with what they see as an inevitable further deployment of ICE agents in the state. Now, they\u2019re discussing staging their own no-sleep protests, while some members of the group have begun training as street medics after hearing of violence against protestors in Minnesota. \u201cWe realised we need to be able to assist our community in ways that maybe none of us really imagined before,\u201d Emily says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For many, the diverse array of ways Minneapolis\u2019s people have shown up to protect each other has helped to encourage even those who were previously not politically engaged to use their own unique skills in the fight against ICE. \u201cIt\u2019s really terrible that this is what\u2019s causing people to band together so strongly, but there\u2019s something very beautiful about the fact that I\u2019m seeing people in organising spaces that I have never seen before,\u201d Sasmit says. \u201cPeople are seeing that the immigrant struggle is a struggle that pertains to everyone, and an attack on one is an attack on all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69588\/1\/together-we-are-america-unpacking-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GettyImages-2260605480\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/69-14-881-586\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436671.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">\u2018Together We Are America\u2019: Unpacking Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl performance<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69572\/1\/bad-bunny-became-political-icon-super-bowl-lx-ice-puerto-rico-trump-us\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img 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class=\"card-latest__title\">XG: The Japanese \u2018X-pop\u2019 group who want to change history<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69569\/1\/what-went-down-during-johnnie-walker-grammys-weekend-takeover\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2259676742\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436509.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Inside Johnnie Walker\u2019s Sabrina Carpenter-inspired Grammys weekend<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69555\/1\/in-photos-taiwan-spiritual-temple-raves-bruno-pruhs\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"creds to \u5f35\u5bb8\u744b Chenwei Chang\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/196-415-2365-1573\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436233.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">In pictures: Taiwan\u2019s spiritual temple raves<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Since Ren\u00e9e Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were murdered in Minneapolis by the very ICE officers they were protesting against, life in the city has been drastically altered. Inevitably, swathes of the country\u2019s far right have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/01\/ice-conservatives-minnesota-dhs-protests\/685705\/\"><span>attempted to blame the new surges of violence and chaos on residents<\/span><\/a><span> and not the federal agents terrorising them. But behind that flimsily constructed facade is a truer version of the city \u2013 one that is hopeful and united even in the face of true horror.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the past few weeks, stories have emerged of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69498\/1\/minneapolis-tattoo-studio-chinga-la-migra-tokki-tokki-anti-ice-tattoos\"><span>tattoo artists offering resistance ink<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bonappetit.com\/story\/amid-ice-raids-running-a-minneapolis-restaurant-is-an-act-of-resistance\"><span>chefs delivering food supplies to their neighbours sheltering in place<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/19thnews.org\/2026\/02\/minneapolis-ice-mother-donate-breastmilk\/\"><span>mothers donating breastmilk<\/span><\/a><span> or<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnpost.com\/metro\/2026\/01\/mothers-of-massive-resistance-pta-members-organize-minneapolis-relief-efforts\/\"><span> transforming PTA groups into ICE patrol squads<\/span><\/a><span>. Meanwhile, local musicians have traded the city\u2019s historic venues for its freezing streets with a simple objective: keeping ICE agents awake.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2018No Sleep\u2019 or \u2018Wide Awake\u2019 protests began to crop up in Minneapolis in December, after the Trump administration launched \u201cOperation Metro Surge\u201d, sending more than 2,700 ICE agents to Minnesota in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-enforcement-ice-noem-minnesota-somali-db661df6de1131a034da2bda4bb3d817\"><span>the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out<\/span><\/a><span>. Their heightened presence across the state has abolished normality, halting business and education and stoking fear among residents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, when students of the University of Minnesota found out that ICE agents were allegedly staying at the Hilton Graduate \u2013 a hotel just a short walk from their campus \u2013 many were outraged. \u201cThis is something that is not acceptable to us on a personal and moral level. But also something that students really deserve to know about,\u201d 24-year-old Sasmit, member of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umnsds\/?hl=en\"><span>University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society<\/span><\/a><span> (UMNSDS), tells Dazed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7593595386833472823\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>To get the message out, UMNSDS began organising a series of noise protests, encouraging locals to gather outside The Graduate, and a handful of other hotels they claimed were housing agents, in the middle of the night to \u201cmake as much noise as possible\u201d, Sasmit says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Musicians across the city were quick to respond, trudging electric guitars, amps, saxophones, trumpets, drums and even accordions into the streets after dark. For the less musically inclined, the demos also feature hundreds of whistles, the small but shrill instrument that has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/09\/whistle-protest-trump-ice\"><span>become a ubiquitous symbol and tool in the fight against ICE<\/span><\/a><span>, their distinct blare a warning sign that an agent is nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>22-year-old bassist Daisy Forester has attended similar noise protests organised by activist group <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sunrise.twincities\/?hl=en\"><span>Sunrise Twin Cities<\/span><\/a><span>, where she and a handful of other local artists have performed mini concerts at night to disturb sleeping ICE officers. \u201cThe draw is that they\u2019re keeping us up, they\u2019re keeping us on the streets. We\u2019re not going to let them sleep peacefully in our city,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At the demos, Forester recalls playing until her fingers froze in sub-zero temperatures, as, one by one, the rooms lit up, blinds crept open and furious faces began to peer down on the street below \u2013 signs that their plan was working. But as well as disturbing ICE, the protests also aimed to make other hotel guests aware of who else was staying down the halls in a bid to disrupt business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe true impact of these protests is that they encourage the businesses in our city to stand with the community and to take a decisive stance on who they serve,\u201d Forester explains, and, indeed, Sasmit tells us that The Graduate has been boarded up in recent weeks, no doubt deterring any potential customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"7ea2a61a-ea61-4e9f-8ceb-b3ef009e8a62\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437132.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.32\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"nod_drip2\" class=\"img\" height=\"2268\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437132.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Notes <span class=\"nowrap\">of Dissent<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Noise demos, protestors say, also help to exorcise a collective frustration towards the occupation of their city. \u201cThey\u2019re very cathartic,\u201d Sasmit adds. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to fall into this idea of, \u2018well, this is the federal government. There\u2019s nothing that an individual can do\u2019. But at these noise demos, you<\/span><span>are directly in front of your target. ICE is sleeping right in that building.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, the action isn\u2019t without risk. At one demo on January 28,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kare11.com\/article\/news\/local\/u-of-m-police-arrests-67-protesters-at-graduate-hotel\/89-b0cbd79e-afa3-47f0-b1dc-429f7f26ad6f\"><span> 67 protestors were arrested<\/span><\/a><span>. After that, UMNSDS questioned whether they should continue, and called multiple emergency meetings to debate the issue. \u201cWe came to the conclusion that they are being so aggressive with us because our tactics are working, and that we can\u2019t back down now,\u201d Sasmit says.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThey are being so aggressive with us because our tactics are working\u201d <\/span><span>\u2013 Sasmit, UMNSDS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Sadly, Minnesota isn\u2019t the only state facing an increased ICE presence, with Trump\u2019s administration <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/01\/21\/nx-s1-5674887\/ice-budget-funding-congress-trump\"><span>increasing the budget of the law enforcement agency to $85billion<\/span><\/a><span> (10 years ago, the annual budget for ICE was less than $6billion), and deploying extra agents in major cities across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In Colorado, musicians are responding to the growing threat by taking notes from those in Minneapolis. When news of Trump\u2019s plans to ramp up the ICE budget first emerged, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/notes.of.dissent.mb\/\"><span>Notes of Dissent Protest Marching Band<\/span><\/a><span> sprang up in the state in response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Composed of former \u201cMarching band geeks\u201d, as band percussionist Colm puts it, they harness an integral aspect of US High School culture \u2013 the musical ensembles that entertain during sports games and parades \u2013 for good. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not the most popular kids in school, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Colm jokes about the patriotic tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The group began on Reddit, where former band members keen to make noise at anti-ICE protests started connecting. Soon, over 300 musicians began dusting off their instruments to head to marches or stage demos outside the state Capitol building. Some hadn\u2019t played for decades \u201cOur founder and current president was saying that she hadn\u2019t picked up her flute since 2006,\u201d singer in the group, Emily, tells Dazed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>They endeavoured to play short sets together, rather than simply make noise, and began meeting regularly, squinting at sheet music again and steadily building a repertoire of modern protest songs. Green Day\u2019s \u2018American Idiot\u2019 and \u2018Killing In The Name\u2019 by Rage Against the Machine \u2013 also staples for the \u2018no sleep\u2019 demos in Minneapolis \u2013 are strong crowd pleasers, as well as Black Sabbath\u2019s \u2018War Pigs\u2019 and even \u2018Bella ciao\u2019, an anti-Nazi Italian folk song.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Like Forester and Sasmit, Colm says that the presence of live music at protests helps to instil those attending with a sense of hope during what is an incredibly bleak circumstance. \u201cIt unites everyone, brings that energy, keeps people synchronised,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Watching as events in Minneapolis unfold, though, they\u2019ve realised that they\u2019ll likely soon need to ramp up their action to match the dangers that come with what they see as an inevitable further deployment of ICE agents in the state. Now, they\u2019re discussing staging their own no-sleep protests, while some members of the group have begun training as street medics after hearing of violence against protestors in Minnesota. \u201cWe realised we need to be able to assist our community in ways that maybe none of us really imagined before,\u201d Emily says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For many, the diverse array of ways Minneapolis\u2019s people have shown up to protect each other has helped to encourage even those who were previously not politically engaged to use their own unique skills in the fight against ICE. \u201cIt\u2019s really terrible that this is what\u2019s causing people to band together so strongly, but there\u2019s something very beautiful about the fact that I\u2019m seeing people in organising spaces that I have never seen before,\u201d Sasmit says. \u201cPeople are seeing that the immigrant struggle is a struggle that pertains to everyone, and an attack on one is an attack on all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69623\/1\/musicians-protesting-ice-raid-minneapolis-noise-colorado-immigration&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1024\/0-0-1024-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437131.jpg&#8221;] Courtesy of Notes of Dissent February\u00a0 12,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Feature Music \/ Feature Sonic warfare: How musicians are using \u2018noise protests\u2019 against ICE In the wake of brutal ICE raids in cities across the US, musicians are dusting off their instruments and banding together in an attempt to stop deportations February\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1760458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1760458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1760458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1760458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1760458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}