Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has gone public with a blistering rebuke of Minnesota’s leadership, saying federal agents on the ground feel abandoned while political officials stoke rhetoric instead of offering support. Bovino and other DHS officials have repeatedly warned that their personnel are facing violent crowds and organized disruptions as they carry out immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities, and those warnings deserve an answer from the people elected to keep communities safe.
The federal surge in Minnesota—part of a broader enforcement campaign that agencies describe as an effort to remove dangerous criminal aliens—has inflamed tensions across Minneapolis and St. Paul. Local reporting shows the operation has led to numerous arrests and sustained clashes between federal officers and protesters, illustrating the gap between policy rhetoric and the messy reality on the streets.
Those clashes have included high-profile and tragic incidents that only underscore why clear communication and cooperation matter. After a shooting that left a woman dead and other confrontations that followed, the Department of Justice has served subpoenas and opened inquiries into whether state and local actions impeded federal efforts—an escalation that could have been avoided with honest dialogue rather than performative outrage.
Bovino has not minced words: he says agents are being assaulted and that organized agitators are trying to block lawful enforcement, while DHS has publicly faulted local officials for language that, in the federal view, fans the flames. Conservatives who actually value order and safety should be clear-eyed here — law enforcement cannot do its job when political leaders cheer on chaos or refuse to engage.
Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have a choice: act like executives who protect their citizens, or keep playing to a national narrative that puts political advantage above public safety. When the highest priority is optics and theater, the people who pay the price are ordinary residents and small-business owners who simply want to walk their streets and run their shops without fear.
Instead of virtue signaling, state and city leaders should pick up the phone, get briefed, and work the problem—secure neighborhoods, support lawful arrests of dangerous criminals, and hold bad actors on any side accountable. The federal agents doing a dangerous job deserve clear lines of communication and the backing of local authorities who understand that law and order are not partisan slogans but necessary conditions for prosperity.
Americans who still believe in the rule of law should demand nothing less than candid leadership and real solutions from both their governors and their mayors. If political theater continues to replace responsible governance, the result will be more disorder and fewer protections for the vulnerable; standing with law enforcement and common-sense enforcement policies is the only path back to peace.
