LEOMINSTER — An ICE protest held earlier this month at the Target on Orchard Hill Park Drive drew over two dozen people holding signs that read “No ICE holes” and “They blame immigrants so you won’t blame billionaires.”
The group handed out Valentines to customers as way to encourage them to “break up with Target until they break up with ICE,” said Haidee LeClair, who helps run one of the local Indivisible groups that collaborated on the protest, which was organized by Standing Up for Racial Justice.
The Feb. 11. gathering included members of Wachusett-Watatic Indivisible Network, Indivisible Fitchburg MA and Nashoba Indivisible, and LeClair said it was held “to show that when a major corporation refuses to use its lobbying power for good, communities across the country will hold it accountable.”
“Target is Minnesota’s leading corporate citizen and yet they have remained silent while ICE uses their property as a staging area to tear families apart and when their own employees have been abducted,” she said.
The Lancaster resident posted about the gathering and along with a photo of the group and information about why they were at Target, which is headquartered in Minneapolis where ICE agents still remain following two people being shot to death there by their hands — Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Target is the fourth largest employer in Minnesota and LeClair said the state’s sports teams “play in stadiums and jerseys with Target’s logo on them.”
“Where Target leads, others follow. Yet when (President Donald) Trump sent thousands of masked agents into the state to assault, kidnap and kill people, Target refused to speak out,” LeClair wrote. “When ICE staged operations in Target parking lots and kidnapped people who were on the clock at a Target store, the corporation did nothing. And last but not least, as a major national corporation, they have lobbying power in Congress. Target has the power to take a stand and call for an end to the ICE surge that is tearing families apart.”
She said five of them went into the store to talk to customers and hand out Valentines to them and 21 more people remained outside with signs and chants, “urging the same.”
“We went inside to hand out Valentines and share why shoppers should break up with Target, many of whom were shocked to learn about Target’s support of ICE,” LeClair said. “This was not a comfortable action for me — stopping people, talking to them about what’s happening. And we were asked to leave by a store employee, maybe a manager? Anyway, it was peaceful and absolutely non-violent, and we left letters for management expressing our concerns.”
She also expressed that while most of the people driving by “supported the anti-ICE message … many of the people inside had no idea how Target was supporting ICE. I hope we got through to at least a few of them.”
Kathy Panagiotes was part of the protest group and is a member of Indivisible Fitchburg MA. She has lived in Ashby for 50 years and has been an activist “since the Vietnam days,” relaying that it’s important to her to continue to speak out.
“When I stand out in the cold, I think about people in the world just like me that are freezing, living hour to hour because barbarians want to claim power and land,” Panagiotes said of what brings her out. “It’s like the wild west out there. Empathy is rare in the elite.”
She “met a great mom and her two very fine kids” at the Target protest and said it was “pleasant to stand with like-minded people.”
“I cannot do much, but one small thing by many people can get big results,” Panagiotes said. “And I can vote. Voting is so important.”
LeClair said that Nashoba Indivisible was launched last March by local resident Lynn Dischler, who had been involved with Harvard Indivisible before that group disbanded and then Acton Indivisible Acton Area.
“When their membership exploded after the 2024 election, they asked for new groups to form,” LeClair said of the latter group. “Theresa Hoberman wanted to do it and convinced Lynn. The rest is history.”
Nashoba Indivisible’s mission is to defend democracy and advance solutions by promoting policies for a fair and just society and their vision statement aligns with that — a democratic society that prioritizes freedom, human rights, dignity, equality and ensures that no one is left behind by providing basic needs including shelter, food, health care and education.
LeClair joined the Nashoba Indivisible steering committee last June, a group now over 400 members strong that she said, “was set up in response to the fear and anger about what the Trump administration was doing to damage our government and citizens and reputation around the world, including the unlawful actions of DOGE.”
They typically hold rallies on the town common in Bolton but their second No Kings rally was held in Lancaster at the corner of 70 and 117 at 1 Hollywood Drive, the same place their third No Kings rally will be on March 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Our protests have always been peaceful and often joyful as we join together to support our vulnerable communities and our commitment to democracy,” LeClair said. “The rally after Renée Good’s murder was more of a memorial and all members of the steering committee shared stories of people illegally harmed by ICE.”
Their next meeting is Tuesday, March 10, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist church, 2 Elm St., Harvard., when they will be “reviewing our goals and objectives for 2026 and our plans for making a difference,” LeClair said.
In addition, they continue holding weekly visibility events on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the I-495 overpass on Sugar Road in Bolton and Signs of Solidarity standouts the first Saturday of the month from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Bolton town common.
When asked why it’s important to her to be part of the nationwide grassroots Indivisible movement and take part in protests such as the one at Target, LeClair said “it’s impossible to overstate how important community is in a time like this.
“When I look at the actions of Nazis in Germany and beyond, inaction seems like the most powerful force enabling evil,” she expressed. “When we look away or remain silent, we allow terrible things to happen to our most vulnerable communities. I cannot be part of that. I find great strength and comfort in knowing that people around me see the same things, feel the same way, and believe in the loftiest goals set forth by the Founding Fathers.
“The Target protest aimed to hold the large Minnesota-based company accountable for enabling ICE and reach people who might not be aware of their actions,” LeClair continued. “With a new CEO and ongoing boycotts, it’s important to continue to bring people’s attention to the harm they are allowing and enabling.”
She also said she is grateful for the opportunity to be around so many like-minded people on an ongoing basis and connect with them.
“I have met so many wonderful people by attending rallies, meetings, trainings, and events – both in person and online. It restores my faith in humanity, which gets shaky when I see people laughing at cruelty or excusing violence and even murder,” LeClair said. “Minnesota showed us how strong we need to be and how hard we need to fight — peacefully —- to preserve our constitutional republic and make it better for everyone in the future. I hope that we, and every other state, will do the same when faced with ICE’s illegal and immoral actions.”
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