Ed wrote two excellent pieces today about the back and forth between Governor Tim Walz and President Trump.
The first outlines that Trump and Walz are discussing how to resolve the chaos in Minnesota and presents an optimistic (kinda sorta) vision of a potential resolution to a crisis spinning out of control.
The second, though, is the more important one in my view, laying out Trump's demands of Walz and Mayor Frey.
I think Walz is somewhat sincere about his desire to have this situation resolved; he just wants it resolved in a way that he gets to assert power over the federal government, both impeding immigration enforcement and finding a way to keep the feds out of his welfare fraud business.
I am skeptical that Trump is interested in getting Walz out of either bind. And while Trump wants it known that he is willing to do a deal with Walz, he also wants it known it will be a deal on HIS terms, not Minnesota's.
🚨 BREAKING: Karoline Leavitt has outlined President Trump’s DEMANDS for Tim Walz and Mayor Frey in Minnesota pic.twitter.com/mu5WpDWf4M
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 26, 2026
If Walz DOESN’T acquiesce, ICE operations will CONTINUE AS IS.
1. Walz and Frey must turn over ALL CRIMINAL ILLEGALS currently in their custody,…
BREAKING: Karoline Leavitt has outlined President Trump’s DEMANDS for Tim Walz and Mayor Frey in Minnesota https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2015854392881398238/video/1
If Walz DOESN’T acquiesce, ICE operations will CONTINUE AS IS.
1. Walz and Frey must turn over ALL CRIMINAL ILLEGALS currently in their custody, along with any illegals with active warrants or known criminal histories for immediate deportation
2. State and local police must agree to turn over ALL illegals arrested by police to the federal government
3. Local police MUST assist in apprehending illegals wanted for crimes — especially vioIent ones
These should NOT be controversial demands!
What most people who watch the Pravda Media don't know is that this set of demands is exactly the same set that have been on the table for weeks. Tom Homan and Trump have said from the beginning that they don't want to conduct a dragnet for illegal aliens, and they, contrary to the propaganda, have not been.
🚨 Did Tim Walz just rebrand Anne Frank as an illegal alien? What’s WRONG with this guy?
— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) January 25, 2026
She was hiding from extermination.
Not immigration enforcement.
Absolutely vile. pic.twitter.com/idQtoRB6FE
It is true that they are on the streets picking up illegal aliens, but every operation has been targeted to apprehend somebody on a priority list, and they got there for committing crimes, and each of them is on the streets solely because Minnesota government officials have released them there. Either they are awaiting prosecution and free to roam the streets, or have served their terms and were released despite ICE detainers.
Yes, other illegal aliens have been caught up in the sweeps, but as "collateral damage," and since they are deportable ICE and CBP will deport them. That is the law, and again, Trump and Homan made this clear from the beginning. This has always been about getting criminals, and the only reason why people think otherwise is the constant propaganda.
Such as comparing illegal aliens to Anne Frank, as Walz has done, to the great anger of the Holocaust Museum.
Tim Walz seems like a unique leader in that during a crisis he does something so insane that he gets yelled at by the Holocaust Museum https://t.co/81A0gcsKa8
— Carl Paulus (@CarlPaulus) January 26, 2026
While you have been fed lies about 5-year-olds being held as "bait," Walz and Frey have been trying to keep ICE from arresting men like this:
NEW: amid ongoing tension between Minnesota and Trump admin, DHS is calling on Gov. Walz & Mayor Frey to co-operate with 1,360 detainers of criminal illegal aliens after DHS says MN already released 470 criminal illegal aliens onto streets.
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) January 12, 2026
“Governor Walz and Mayor Frey… pic.twitter.com/EpPFN55wcZ
“Governor Walz and Mayor Frey REFUSE to cooperate with ICE law enforcement and have released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets of Minneapolis. We are calling on Walz and Frey to stop this dangerous policy and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 1,360 criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota’s custody,” said Assistant Secretary @TriciaOhio . “It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”
•Leny Odemel Ramirez-Santos, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras charged with sex offense against a child – fondling and driving under the influence of liquor.
•Edwin Amable Ashca Ninasuta, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador with charges for lewd or lascivious acts with a minor.
•Lenda Neh Mama Epse George, a criminal illegal alien from Cameroon with charges for cruelty toward a child and domestic violence.
•German Adriano Llangari Inga, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador charged with homicide – negligent manslaughter with a vehicle and driving under the influence of liquor.
•Puol Both, a criminal illegal alien from Sudan convicted of making terroristic threats, burglary, first-degree aggravated robbery, and larceny.
•Somsalao Thonesavanh, a criminal illegal alien from Laos convicted of drug trafficking and selling a synthetic narcotic.
Sriudorn Phaivan, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm sodomy of a boy & strong-arm sodomy of a girl with a deportation order since 2018.
Tou Vang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of sexual assault and sodomy of a girl under age 13 and procuring a child for prostitution with a deportation order since 2006.
Chong Vue, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of the strong-arm rape of a 12-year-old girl and kidnapping a child with intent to sexually assault her, with a deportation order since 2004,
Ge Yang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm rape, aggravated assault with a weapon, and strangulation with a deportation order since 2012.
Pao Choua Xiong, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of rape and child fondling with a deportation order since 2003.
Kou Lor, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of rape, rape with a weapon, and sexual assault with a deportation order since 1996.
Hernan Cortes-Valencia, Mexican illegal alien convicted of sexual assault of a child and DUI with a deportation order since 2016.
Abdirashid Adosh Elmi, a Somalian illegal alien convicted of homicide.
Gilberto Salguero Landaverde, a Salvadoran illegal alien convicted of three counts of homicide with a deportation order since June 2025.
Gabriel Figueroa Gama, a Mexican illegal convicted of homicide who has been previously deported in 2002.
Galuak Michael Rotgai, a Sudanese illegal alien convicted of homicide.
Thai Lor, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of two counts of homicide with a deportation order since 2009.
Mariana Sia Kanu, an illegal alien from Sierra Leone convicted of two counts of homicide with a deportation order since 2022.
Aldrin Guerrero Munoz, a Mexican illegal alien convicted of homicide with a deportation order since 2015.
Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed, a Somalian illegal alien convicted of manslaughter with a deportation order since 2022.
Mongong Dual Maniang Deng, a Sudanese illegal alien convicted of attempt to commit homicide, weapon possession, and DUI.
Aler Gomez Lucas, a Guatemalan illegal alien convicted of negligent homicide with a vehicle and DUI with a deportation order since 2022.
Shwe Htoo, a Burmese illegal alien convicted of negligent homicide.
ICE says all of these criminal aliens were roaming freely in the sanctuary state of Minnesota prior to arrest, and that these are the type of people that politicians and activists are referring to as their “neighbors” as they attempt to interfere with ICE.
These are just facts, and ones that the Democrats and the media want you to look away from.
The thing is, Walz and Frey might be willing to turn over these criminals in principle, but their supporters will not be. After all, they will be turning them over to the "Gestapo," and the entire Democratic Party structure here is all in on these protests. Millions of dollars have flowed here, and the activist base is not nearly as cynical as Walz and Frey, who have been playing to this crowd to gain political clout.
"minneapolis could be our Fallujah"
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 25, 2026
Far-left extremists linked to Antifa and anarchist and communist extremists are encouraging comrades to go to Minneapolis as "delegates" for an armed uprising against the U.S. government. They're raising funds for weapons, tactical gear and… pic.twitter.com/nVAaSaX4Cq
There is an entire insurgency infrastructure built up here in Minnesota, with trained agitators leading some seriously mentally ill people who are on what amounts to a Jihad.
I have 20 years of experience in the intelligence community, and yes, what we’re seeing in Minnesota is closer to insurgency than a protest.
— Rick de la Torre (@vrk_rick) January 26, 2026
A protest doesn’t feature thousands of people on comms, tracking law enforcement to sabotage operations, while armed, or using vehicles to… https://t.co/RvysPSVhRV
I have 20 years of experience in the intelligence community, and yes, what we’re seeing in Minnesota is closer to insurgency than a protest.
A protest doesn’t feature thousands of people on comms, tracking law enforcement to sabotage operations, while armed, or using vehicles to ram officers.
What we’re seeing is highly dangerous, coordinated, and risks escalating into something deeply damaging to the country. We need de-escalation now, and an immediate investigation into the funders and leaders behind this operation.
As a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple rotations running counterinsurgency ops—both hunting insurgents and trying to separate them from sympathetic populations—I’ve seen organized resistance up close. From Anbar to Helmand, the pattern is familiar: spotters, cutouts, dead drops (or modern equivalents), disciplined comms, role specialization, and a willingness to absorb casualties while bleeding the stronger force slowly.
What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t “protest.” It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook.
Signal groups at 1,000-member cap per zone. Dedicated roles: mobile chasers, plate checkers logging vehicle data into shared databases, 24/7 dispatch nodes vectoring assets, SALUTE-style reporting (Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment) on suspected federal vehicles. Daily chat rotations and timed deletions to frustrate forensic recovery. Vetting processes for new joiners. Mutual aid from sympathetic locals (teachers providing cover, possible PD tip-offs on license plate lookups). Home-base coordination points. Rapid escalation from observation to physical obstruction—or worse.
This isn’t spontaneous outrage. This is C2 (command and control) with redundancy, OPSEC hygiene, and task organization that would make a SF team sergeant nod in recognition. Replace “ICE agents” with “occupying coalition forces” and the structure maps almost 1:1 to early-stage urban cells we hunted in the mid-2000s.
The most sobering part? It’s domestic. Funded, trained (somewhere), and directed by people who live in the same country they’re trying to paralyze law enforcement in. When your own citizens build and operate this level of parallel intelligence and rapid-response network against federal officers—complete with doxxing, vehicle pursuits, and harassment that’s already turned lethal—you’re no longer dealing with civil disobedience. You’re facing a distributed resistance that’s learned the lessons of successful insurgencies: stay below the kinetic threshold most of the time, force over-reaction when possible, maintain popular support through narrative, and never present a single center of gravity.
I spent years training partner forces to dismantle exactly this kind of apparatus. Now pieces of it are standing up in American cities, enabled by elements of local government and civil society. That should keep every thinking American awake at night.
Not because I want escalation. But because history shows these things don’t de-escalate on their own once the infrastructure exists and the cadre believe they’re winning the information war.
We either recognize what we’re actually looking at—or we pretend it’s still just “activism” until the structures harden and spread.
The provocateurs are committed to overturning our government—that's not hyperbole, it's what they say—and their followers are almost as committed as suicide bombers, which is also not hyperbole.
HOLY SH*T!
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) January 24, 2026
White leftist mother from Minneapolis proudly posted about getting ready with her 18-month-old to “patrol” for ICE in subzero weather, claiming her “babies aren't more important than anybody else's.”
Unbelievable!
Some leftist parents are putting the lives of… pic.twitter.com/8lsvk2KaFf
White leftist mother from Minneapolis proudly posted about getting ready with her 18-month-old to “patrol” for ICE in subzero weather, claiming her “babies aren't more important than anybody else's.”
Unbelievable!
Some leftist parents are putting the lives of foreign illegal criminals above their own children, dragging toddlers into dangerous situations, all in the name of virtue signaling and likes on social media.
Many of these people find their life's meaning in fighting against the "fascists," and there are plenty of mothers taking their children into what amounts to war zones. Their political leaders are telling them to put their "bodies on the line" and to commit felonies, and they are.
Ignorance like this cheapens the horror of the Holocaust. Anne Frank was in Amsterdam legally and abided by Dutch law. She was hauled off to a death camp because of her race and religion. Her story has nothing to do with the illegal immigration, fraud, and lawlessness plaguing… https://t.co/apOWNLE7Bv
— Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun (@StateSEAS) January 26, 2026
Now, Walz and Frey are not masterminds. They are midwits who are caught in a vice. They have brazenly enabled a massive criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States government and have, so far, gotten away with it. But it looks like the walls are closing in (I am personally skeptical they will pay any price), and they decided to pick a massive fight with Trump to generate political support.
The fight is here, and they are nervous as hell. But they also have a tiger by the tail. Money has been flowing in from outside the country to amp up the violence, and I doubt they can control it.
🚨 WTF?! CNN just aired a liberal claiming ICE is on the verge of putting people in OVENS to execute them
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 26, 2026
“I’m not saying they’re putting people in ovens YET!” 🤯
He’s openly inciting violence and CNN does nothing.
ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. pic.twitter.com/QfK4jUB9Cw
There are also the radical Democrats (Frey and Walz are lefty, but far less radical than some Minnesota politicians), and I doubt they will just give in. The Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan, is running for Senate, is very radical, and an active participant in organizing these protests. There is little love lost between her and Walz since he tried to become Vice President. And she is locked in a race with Angie Craig, who will have the backing of the more moderate business people, but who is also competing for the radical vote by being out front on this issue.
Then their is Keith Ellison, who is more exposed on the Feeding Our Future fraud, smarter than either of them, and a fan of Antifa.
Walz may be acting as a warlord, as I argued earlier today, but he is not a very good one, and not really in charge of the clan. He just happens to be at the top of the nominal pyramid, but is as in charge here as Biden was in Washington. He is as corrupt, and when he is headstrong, he can get his way, but the loyalty to him is not nearly as strong as to the clan itself, and perhaps to the Jihad.
He is also a lame duck. His grip on the party has been based, since announcing his retirement, on whipping up the crowds. It will be hard to reverse course and maintain any power.
Even if Walz agrees to Trump's demands, which I doubt, it seems likely that a lot of the strife will continue.
Trump's demand is simple: drop the Sanctuary City BS. Does that seem likely?
During the four years of Crooked Joe Biden and Democrat failed leadership, Tens of Millions of Illegal Alien Criminals poured into our Country, including Hundreds of Thousands of Convicted Murderers, Rapists, Kidnappers, Drug Dealers, and Terrorists.
I won the Election in a Historic Landslide, and Republicans won Majorities in both the House and Senate, in large part, because we pledged to SEAL THE BORDER, which we have done, and launch the largest Mass Deportation of Illegal Alien Criminals in American History. This Deportation effort is underway, and in Republican run Cities and States, these operations are going peacefully and smoothly, because Local Law Enforcement Officers are allowed to work with their Federal counterparts. For example, in the five Republican run States of Texas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana, ICE has arrested 150,245 Criminal Illegal Aliens over the past year — with ZERO protests, riots, or chaos. Why? Because Local Police and ICE are cooperating and working together.
Meanwhile, Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE, and they are actually encouraging Leftwing Agitators to unlawfully obstruct their operations to arrest the Worst of the Worst People! By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved. Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.
And how likely is it that his collaborators here in Minnesota and around the country will let him?
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