On January 23, 2026, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport became the scene of yet another politically charged spectacle when roughly 100 protesters—many identified by organizers as clergy and faith leaders—were arrested after staging a demonstration aimed at halting ICE operations. What began as a permitted gathering, organizers say, ended with MSP Airport Police issuing misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply and taking numerous demonstrators into custody before releasing them.
Airport officials made clear they had worked with organizers in advance to set limits for the demonstration to protect passengers, employees, and uninterrupted flight operations, and they acted when protesters exceeded those terms. This wasn’t some idealistic campus teach-in; it was an attempt to impede critical airport functions and put travelers at risk in the name of a political stunt.
It’s hard to swallow the optics of self-styled clergy kneeling on cold tarmac while passengers try to get to work and families try to catch flights—religion should comfort the public, not be weaponized for theatrical confrontations. Conservatives respect peaceful protest, but when demonstrations cross into obstruction and lawlessness, the rule of law must come first; nobody’s religious calling includes endangering others or disrupting commerce.
Let’s be clear about ICE’s role: federal enforcement agents are carrying out immigration laws passed by Congress, and airports are lawful venues for the transport of detainees and lawful detentions. If Minnesotans disagree with enforcement priorities, the place to settle that is at the ballot box and in the halls of Congress—not by staging shutdowns at critical infrastructure and cheering when police are forced to restore order.
Local authorities deserve credit for preventing the chaos from escalating, but leaders who encourage these mobilizations should answer for normalizing civil disobedience that inconveniences ordinary Americans. To every hardworking taxpayer and traveler affected by today’s disruption: your safety and freedom to go about your day matter more than a media-friendly protest photo op, and officials must prioritize that principle moving forward.
