President Trump didn’t hide his hand — according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, he personally called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and laid out three blunt demands to stop the lawlessness and restore order. This was not a bargaining chip or political theater; it was a plainspoken offer to get federal and state authorities working together to remove dangerous criminal aliens from Minnesota’s streets.
Leavitt says the president’s directives were straightforward: turn over criminal illegal aliens held in state prisons and jails to federal authorities for deportation, transfer those arrested by local police into federal custody, and have local departments actively assist federal agents in apprehending violent undocumented offenders. These are common-sense, practical steps every other functioning state already takes to protect citizens and enforce the law.
The backdrop is no minor skirmish but a full-blown federal operation — Operation Metro Surge — that sent thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents into the Twin Cities and has been met with chaotic street resistance and tragic confrontations, including the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. The escalation proves the severity of the problem: when local officials refuse to cooperate, the federal government must enforce the laws Congress has written.
Minnesota’s response has been predictable and performative: lawsuits, finger-pointing, and accusations of federal overreach from Governor Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, who even sued to halt the surge and labeled it unconstitutional. That posture amounts to sanctuary-for-criminals politics — a refusal to meet the nation halfway while ordinary Minnesotans pay the price in safety and peace of mind.
Give President Trump credit for offering a clean path to de-escalation: follow the rule of law and federal agents won’t be required to operate in the streets. If local leaders will no longer shield violent offenders, the mission becomes straightforward and the chaos ends — something every law-abiding American should demand from their governors.
This is a test of leadership for elected officials in Minneapolis and across the country: stand with hardworking Americans and law enforcement, or stand with criminals and political theater. Congress should also act to end sanctuary policies once and for all so sheriffs and prosecutors can stop being hamstrung by ideology and start protecting their communities.
