MINNEAPOLIS — Vice President JD Vance arrived in Minnesota on Thursday, stepping into a state vibrating with tension over “Operation Metro Surge.” Speaking from a city where federal agents have conducted over 3,000 arrests in recent weeks, Vance delivered a blunt ultimatum: state and local officials must cooperate with federal law enforcement to “lower the temperature,” or continue to bear the blame for the chaos gripping the Twin Cities.
Vance’s visit follows the fatal January 7 shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer—an event that has sparked nightly protests and a deepening constitutional crisis. Addressing a room of reporters and federal personnel, the Vice President redefined the concept of de-escalation.
“The number one thing that would lower the temperature would be for local officials to help facilitate reasonable enforcement of the law,” Vance said. “If you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement. It’s not that hard.”
State Leaders Fire Back: “Weaponization of Justice”
The Vice President’s rhetoric was met with fierce condemnation from Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) leadership, who are currently the targets of a massive federal investigation. Recent reports indicate that the Department of Justice has issued grand jury subpoenas to Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, investigating whether their public statements and sanctuary policies constitute a conspiracy to obstruct federal agents.
“Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic,” Governor Walz said in a stinging response. He categorized the federal investigation as a “stunt” designed to distract from the aggressive tactics being used by ICE on Minnesota streets.
Mayor Jacob Frey was equally defiant. “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis,” Frey stated. “Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.”
The “ICE Out!” Statewide Shutdown
As Vance met with law enforcement, a massive grassroots movement was solidifying for the following day. Organizers have called for an “ICE Out! Statewide Shutdown” on Friday, January 23. The coalition of faith leaders, unions, and activists is urging all Minnesotans to participate in an economic blackout.
The protest encourages residents to:
- Stay home from work and school.
- Refrain from all shopping and commercial activity.
- Join a mass march in downtown Minneapolis at 2:00 PM.
Over 300 Minnesota businesses—including prominent restaurants, co-op grocery stores, and arts institutions like the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art—have announced they will close their doors in solidarity. “This is a nonviolent pause for reflection and collective action,” a coalition letter stated. “We are standing for constitutional rights in a moment of unprecedented federal overreach.”
A Deepening Divide
While Vance praised cities like Austin and Memphis for their “cooperation,” local advocates point to disturbing reports of federal agents detaining students and using “pepper spray and other non-lethal munitions” against peaceful observers. A U.S. District Judge recently issued a preliminary injunction to curb these tactics, though a federal appeals court temporarily paused that ruling on Wednesday, once again allowing agents more latitude in their use of force.
Vance remained unmoved by reports of community trauma, including the recent detention of a five-year-old boy in Columbia Heights used as a lure to arrest his father. Instead, he labeled those physically blocking ICE vehicles as engaging in “cowardly bullshit” and warned that the mission to remove “criminal aliens” would continue regardless of local resistance.
As the state braces for Friday’s massive shutdown, the standoff between the Trump administration and Minnesota’s leaders has reached a fever pitch, with neither side showing signs of blinking.
Sources and Links
- The Guardian: JD Vance accuses Minneapolis protesters of ‘cowardly bullshit’
- The Minnesota Star Tribune: Businesses close, Minnesotans to stay home Friday in protest of ICE
- PBS NewsHour: Justice Department investigates Minnesota Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey
- CBS News Minnesota (WCCO): VP JD Vance to discuss “restoring law and order” in Minneapolis visit
- KARE 11 News: Vance lands in Minneapolis blaming ‘far left’ for turmoil
- The Art Newspaper: Minneapolis museums and galleries join citywide general strike
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