JD Vance Says Minneapolis Is to Blame for ICE Violence
Vice President JD Vance is claiming that the ICE violence in Minneapolis is the fault of leaders there.
Speaking to reporters while visiting Minnesota, Vance was asked what he would say to Minnesotans who say that ICE’s increased presence and harsh tactics are making them unsafe. Vance blamed local authorities for refusing to cooperate.
“I’d say that we’re doing everything that we can to lower the temperature, and we would like federal and local—excuse me, state and local officials to meet us halfway,” Vance began, before NBC reporter Maggie Vespa interjected.
“Are you saying that they’re not perceiving it correctly? Are you saying that they’re not seeing that it’s the tactics or the presence of the officers that are—” the reporter asked before Vance cut in.
“I’m sure that there are people that are seeing a lot of things that would make any member of our national community feel very upset, but I also think that if you understand this in context, this is the inevitable consequence of a state and local government that have decided that they’re not going to cooperate with immigration enforcement at all. In fact, they’re going to aggressively not cooperate,” Vance said.
Q: What do you say to people here in Minnesota who say it’s the overwhelming presence of ICE officers and their tactics that make them feel unsafe?
VANCE: This is the inevitable consequence of a state and local government that have decided they’re not gonna cooperate with… pic.twitter.com/ROW1i2dBEG
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 22, 2026
Vance’s remarks are alarming, as he just glossed over the murder of Renee Good earlier this month that touched off much of the protests in Minneapolis against ICE, as well as the many striking headlines from the area since then, including the use of a 5-year-old boy as bait Tuesday to arrest his father.
The vice president is basically saying to the people of Minneapolis to “tell the police to work with us, or else.” While Vance claims to want to lower the temperature, the longer he speaks, the more he doubles down in defense of ICE’s actions. If this is the Trump administration’s stance, it seems like things are only going to get worse.
