The current obstruction and violence against federal agents attempting to deport illegal aliens – perpetrated by far-left activists and encouraged by left-wing politicians – is unacceptable.
In June 2025, there were officers in Los Angeles conducting due process against illegal aliens attacked. Mayor Karen Bass blamed federal enforcement for lawless protests in her city and only imposed a curfew when dozens of businesses were looted.
In September, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, arresting many criminal illegal aliens despite violent protests without support from Mayor Brandon Johnson or Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS OUTBREAKS, INSURRECTION THREAT LIVES
Last October, a brawl between Antifa and conservative activists took place outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. In Portland, officers shot two suspected members of Venezuela’s deadly Tren de Aragua gang who had tried to run them over.
And we all know what happened on January 18 in Minneapolis between an ICE agent and murdered activist Renee Good. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded with a mix of falsehood and exaggeration. He ignored the fact that the ICE agents were there to arrest illegal immigrants – usually very dangerous repeat criminals – in accordance with US law.
Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey ramped up the rhetoric, encouraged protests, and failed to provide effective state and city enforcement assistance to DHS. The ingredients were there for another senseless death, and a week later ICE agents shot Alex Pretti in another confused battle between protesters and federal agents.
President Donald Trump has options.
Title 10 of the US Code allows him to use federal forces in cases of “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” against the US government to protect federal agents and property.
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The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows him to deploy troops to “enforce the laws of the United States” or to “suppress insurrection” when “unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblies, or rebellion” make it “impracticable” to enforce federal laws in a state.
Immigration enforcement is a federal duty. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution means that federal law takes precedence over state law. No governor or mayor, no matter how left-wing their own policies, can refuse to let federal agents do their duty.
Citizens who obstruct federal agents (or local police) in their work are committing a crime. Non-citizens who do this risk not only criminal charges, but also deportation if convicted.
WHAT WOULD TRUMP’S USE OF THE INSURRECTION ACT LOOK LIKE IN MINNESOTA?
The Trump administration must show that it will not be intimidated by gangs or threatened by leading local politicians.
But once that point is made, DHS and ICE must step up a gear to avoid falling into the obvious PR trap set for them. For ICE, arresting dangerous criminals in tough neighborhoods of cities run by left-wing mayors is a triple threat.
First, agents have to worry about the aliens themselves, who may be armed and dangerous. Second, they must beware of activist gangs who obstruct their vehicles, throw things, attack officers and possibly worse. Third, they must travel in large numbers, knowing that local police are prohibited, unwilling or unable to protect them or come to their aid.
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This means that every operation is expensive, labor-intensive and risky. Everything is filmed, from every angle. Every officer’s every move is scrutinized by millions of social justice warriors, all of whom are now suddenly experts in forensics and tactics.
Trump’s base will support tough tactics, while the left will oppose any enforcement. Moderate and swing voters will be turned off by the inevitable injuries and deaths. When they watch or read traditional media, events will always be distorted in a way that makes law enforcement look bad, regardless of the facts. And while his officials will rally behind their agents, they will inevitably make mistakes — and may already have done so — in the heat of the moment.
What can ICE do differently in 2026?
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Increased workplace enforcement and targeted arrests at unpredictable locations and times.
To help them, technology has advanced significantly since Trump’s first term, and AI is a force multiplier for routine investigations. ICE is spending “more than $300 million on social media monitoring tools, facial recognition software, license plate readers and services to find out where people live and work,” according to Politico.
In using identification and surveillance technology, DHS faces opposition not only from open-border activists, but also from conservatives with privacy concerns. But it’s a fight worth fighting.
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Facial recognition and social media blending technology can be calibrated to tag only non-residents in the DHS database.
ICE is also investing millions in so-called “skip tracing” technology, which can more easily identify illegal aliens while leaving American citizens alone.
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US consulates abroad are using AI to screen visa applicants’ social media, and USCIS has announced a “new vetting center [that] will focus on robust screening tools.” ICE should have access to all that information, as well as that of other federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration and Health and Human Services. Citizens’ data is protected by privacy laws, but noncitizens, especially those here illegally, have no right to expect one part of the government to withhold information from another.
Trump needs to go ‘big’ to show people like Walz and Frey how the Constitution works. Then DHS should address mass deportation with more deliberation and subtlety – for the long term. Americans need to see law enforcement renormalized.
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