A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman during a large-scale enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, a confrontation that has sent the city into outrage and unrest. The incident, which federal officials described as a response to an alleged attempt to run over officers, left a community asking how we arrived at a point where law enforcement cannot even do its job without being vilified.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly blamed ICE, exclaiming that federal agents should “get the f— out” of his city and calling the department’s self-defense claim “garbage,” remarks that reek of political grandstanding more than sober leadership. Local officials rushed to condemn the federal presence even as the full facts were still being collected, a reflex that rewards chaos and punishes those charged with keeping citizens safe.
Bystander video and eyewitness accounts circulated almost immediately, and those images appear to contradict the swift, simplistically defensive narrative pushed by Washington, inflaming emotions and fueling protests that have at times turned violent. The footage deserves a careful, professional review, but what it also reveals is a city whose leaders have cultivated an environment where mobs feel empowered to interfere with law enforcement operations.
On Fox News’ America Reports, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley called Mayor Frey’s rhetoric “reckless,” and he was right to warn that inciting distrust toward federal officers before facts are known only makes dangerous situations worse. Conservative Americans understand that leadership means steadiness under stress, not theatrical denunciations that inflame crowds and make the thin blue line even thinner.
Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and other national security voices correctly pointed out that sanctuary-style policies and political posturing tie the hands of cooperation and create the very conditions where federal agents must operate in hostile environments. If city executives want federal help removed, they should be honest about the trade-offs instead of scapegoating the men and women putting themselves between our neighborhoods and lawlessness.
We must demand a full, transparent investigation and accountability where wrongdoing is proven, but we should also refuse to treat federal law enforcement as the enemy simply because it enforces the law voters asked to be enforced. Minneapolis needs leaders who will restore order, back their police and cooperate with federal partners when appropriate, rather than playing political theater that leaves law-abiding citizens less safe and our frontline officers more exposed.
