JD Vance has spoken about the ‘level of chaos’ in Minneapolis following recent activities by ICE agents in the city and reports of at least four children being detained.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been active in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with accounts of agents dining at a restaurant before detaining employees later in the day. Additionally, Renee Nicole Good was tragically shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross after dropping her child off at school.
On Tuesday, January 20, five-year-old Liam Ramos was returning home from school with his father when ICE officials apprehended them, taking them into custody, according to Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Liam’s school, as reported by The Guardian.
Liam is one of four children from the Columbia Heights school district in Minneapolis who have reportedly been detained, creating an atmosphere of fear throughout the city.
Stenvik expressed concern, accusing ICE agents of patrolling neighborhoods, circling schools, following buses, entering parking lots, and taking children, which has left the community traumatized and shaken.
Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis and addressed the public outrage, attributing the situation to factors other than the ICE agents themselves.
In a meeting reportedly excluding the city’s mayor and police chief, Vance suggested that local authorities were being directed not to cooperate with federal agents, as reported by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul.
“What kind of a person tells their local police, ‘Don’t protect somebody if they’re being assaulted by a rioter’. It’s crazy. And it’s got to stop,” he remarked.
Vance emphasized he doesn’t require Tim Walz or Jacob Frey to align with him or Donald Trump on immigration, but he urged them to empower local officials to assist federal efforts, aiming for less chaos and more focused actions.
According to Vance, the ‘level of chaos’ observed is specific to Minneapolis.
He noted: “We’re seeing this level of chaos, only in Minneapolis. LA and Chicago, we had some problems there. Pretty much every jurisdiction these guys are operating, you don’t see the same level of chaos, you don’t see the same level of violence, you don’t see the same problems that we’re seeing in Minneapolis.”
The vice president asserted the government believes the issue is unique to Minneapolis, citing a lack of cooperation between state and federal law enforcement.
Mayor Tim Frey responded to Vance’s comments in a subsequent news conference.
Mayor Frey stated: “I get that they’ve got a messaging challenge here and it’s predominantly because anyone can see with their own two eyes what’s going on.
“You can’t say with a straight face that pulling citizens off the street or going into a school is a targeted action when clearly it’s not.”