When asked by the New York Times what could stop him, Trump replied “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me”.

All eyes are on Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Trumps’ hold of the reins is showing a visibly sinister side to what is possible for the United States government to not only do to non-documented people living in America, but their own citizens, too. As of today, there have been two American citizens shot and killed by I.C.E agents in Minneapolis this month. Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, less than 24 hours after the city residents organised mass protests to stand against I.C.E presence in Minneapolis, after the murder of Renee Good on 7th January 2026.

Renee Good and Alex Pretti were American citizens that lived in a country with inalienable human-rights and rights guaranteed under a codified constitution and Bill of Rights. Many constitutional liberty advocates have started challenging and pushing back against I.C.E and Border Patrol’s raid on the Bill of Rights.

As reported by The Minnesota Star Tribune, according to I.C.E, they have arrested 10,000 ‘criminal illegal aliens’ in Minneapolis since Trump took office over a year ago, but there is little proof for that number. I.C.E has refused access or information to the names of those detained, with immigration hearings being held in secret. The windowless courtrooms are often locked, to prevent the public from witnessing the hearings. The investigation held by The Minnesota Star Tribune finds that Court staff redact the names of dozens of immigrants scheduled to appear in court each day. A journalist for the organisation claimed he was told he couldn’t linger longer than 10 minutes, with another having his phone searched for photographs. The lack of transparency and violation of court precedent and long-standing rules is utterly bizarre.

Surely, the MAGA and pro-Trump Americans must see that he does not have their best interests at heart. I cannot see Trump gaining more fans, with the murder of two of their own citizens, the disparaging and character assassinations of their own citizens and the complete disregard for their rights and experiences.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

George Orwell

Federal response

Yesterday, Trump, in a post on Truth Social stated, “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!”.

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote on X, “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists,”. Vice President JD Vance accused Ms. Good of “classic terrorism” and labelled protestors as using “domestic terror techniques”. DHS Sec. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, described Ms. Goods’ actions as “an act of domestic terrorism,” and claimed the victim “attempted to run a law enforcement officer over,”, however, video analysis by The New York Times showed no indication that he had been run over.

Despite this, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino held a press conference and spoke to CNN, demonstrating what I personally see as worrying behaviour. He referred to Mr.Pretti as a “suspect” and claimed his agents are the “victims”. While speaking to CNN, he asserted “What I’m saying is we respect that Second Amendment right. But those rights don’t count when you riot and assault, delay, obstruct and impede law enforcement officers.”. There is a frustratingly stark contrast as to the narrative pumped out of the White House like Vecna’s Mind Flayer feeding tubes, to what the public can actually see via footage released. It is a classic and specific strategy used that we, the public, have been often exposed to (DARVO) – deny, attack, reverse victim offender. The gaslighting and downplaying before the investigations have properly concluded is so messy and unprofessional. What confidence does an American citizen have in their government? In asserting their guaranteed rights?

As reported by Wired, When Trump was asked to provide evidence to back up his claim that Renee Good had “viciously” run over the agent, he showed New York Times journalists a video that didn’t show the agent being run over. When this was pointed out to him, Trump replied: “Well, I … the way I look at it,” before the Times reported that he appeared to trail off. “It’s a terrible scene,”.

It’s clear to see the federal government is doubling down and not showing any signs of de-escalation or empathy, even prior to the two murder investigations. They have not even leaned in to any conversations or concerns regarding the rights of American citizens that have plainly been infringed for the rest of the world to see. The administration seems to insist on deflecting and spinning a certain narrative and citing major discrepancies in the multiple angles analysed in the bystander video. Land of the free?

Keep in mind, Trump granted two dozen of the January 6 defendants who were convicted of and sentenced for crimes of domestic terrorism under the U.S. Code clemency on his second day in office. Now, his administration invokes domestic terrorism? Now, you downplay the civil rights of U.S citizens? He was all for pardoning those domestic terrorists from Jan 6th. Doing so makes a mockery of the rule of law and the equal application of it. It’s one rule for you and another for me. Ultimately creating a two-tier oligarchical meritocracy through the unequal application of the law, that we can see with our own eyes.

The definition of a fascist is a follower of a political philosophy characterised by authoritarian views (check), a centralised autocracy (check), militarism (check), no tolerance for opposing views or opinions (check), and forcible oppression (check). A spade is a spade. The sky is blue. If it quacks, it’s a duck. What we are seeing is a fascist dictator. There’s holocaust educators screaming ‘warning signs’ in history and striking parallel to “a dark time in bigotry” whilst looking at I.C.E in Minnesota, you can read Kristin Thompson’s comments with MPR News here.

In the article, she explores the comparison to Nazi Germany and World War II providing several examples of the similarities. An example includes the rhetoric, imagery and slogans used by Homeland Security at a Press Conference on 8th January. Thompson said the slogan refers to an ideology of collective responsibility, which is something she said many authoritarians use, but is closely aligned with the Nazi party. A photograph from the conference used in the MPR article is below.

Thompson also draws comparison to the social media posts used by the federal government and their immigration enforcement tactics. “After the holocaust, “Never Again” became a rallying cry in an effort for people to learn from the atrocities of the war,” said Thompson. The German media have also likened Bovino’s outfits to that of a Nazi officer. Der Spiegal have uploaded multiple articles suggesting the similarity in the uniform and coat.

Minnesotans resistance

The citizens of Minnesota have quite rightly shown resistance, in light of the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The hundreds of pictures and videos of people being dragged through the streets and attacked for protesting is truly dark. About 50,000 protesters took to the streets in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, demanding the thousands of I.C.E agents immediately leave the state.

Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan uploaded a video a few days ago of the Minnesota I.C.E protests and interviews local citizens attending the protests. It’s an insightful watch, only 14 minutes long, which I truly recommend. You can watch it below.

The Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey, is earning credibility and a name for himself on the world stage. As someone currently typing in the North of England, although my politics degree covered American politics, I had heard little of their Governor Tim Walz and Mayor, but respect to them for standing their ground, I suppose. As they should. The Mayor of Minneapolis condemned the federal government and its response, stating “Get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”. “… Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Gov. Tim Walz wrote in a post on X. It isn’t just Minneapolis that is recognising the fascist tactics for what it is and calling it out, the Governor of California Gavin Newsom described the I.C.E shooting and killing of Renee Good as “state sponsored terrorism”. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren describing the shooting of Alex Pretti as “horrific”. The Minnesota government has now demanded that the shooting investigation be lead by the state, due to concerns regarding fairness.

What’s also important, The F.B.I agent who tried to investigate the I.C.E officer who fatally shot Renee Good, resigned from the bureau yesterday. The agent, Tracee Mergen, left her job due to bureau leadership allegedly pressuring her to stop a civil rights inquiry. It just feels dirty, doesn’t it? Deepinder Mayell, executive director of ACLU of Minnesota claimed, “This tragedy is further proof that these federal agents are out of control and critically endangering our communities. ICE and CBP must end their operations in our city before anyone else is harmed, and an independent investigation must be conducted.”.

The ACLU of Minnesota and its partners have filed two lawsuits due to I.C.E’s assault on Minnesotans, Hussen v. Noem, that challenges racial profiling and the agency’s warrantless arrests, and Tincher v. Noem, a lawsuit challenging I.C.E’s violence and misconduct towards Minnesotans exercising their First Amendment rights to assemble, observe, and protest federal agents’ immigration enforcement activities. As confirmed by the ACLU earlier this week, a federal appeals court temporarily suspended the trial court’s order in Tincher – therefore blocking the government from retaliating against protestors and observers.

Liam Conejo Ramos

MPR News reported that I.C.E detained a 5-year-old Minnesota boy, with the school leader saying agents used him as ‘bait’. According to Columbia Heights superintendent, Zena Stenvik, masked agents apprehended Liam Conejo Ramos in his driveway on Tuesday as he returned home from school with his father. Stenvik asserted that Liam’s family has an “active asylum case” with no deportation orders, and “I have viewed the legal paperwork with my own eyes”. She added, “Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let him take care of the small child, and was refused,” Stenvik continued, “Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running car, led him to the door and directed him to knock on the door asking to be let in in order to see if anyone else was home, essentially using a 5-year-old as bait.”.

Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the Ramos’ family, confirmed he is still not sure of the exact current whereabouts of Liam and his dad. He believes, based on the experience of other clients he has worked with, that they are currently in Texas in a family holding cell. “Every step of their immigration process has been doing what they’ve been asked to do, and so this is just … cruelty,” stated Prokosch, also noting that the Ramos’ family is currently going through an asylum application process. He added, “I’m exploring whether we file a habeas corpus petition to get him out, we’d have to actually file that down in Texas now,”.

When asked if the 5-year-old’s detainment was illegal, Prokosch said, “Probably not, and that’s what’s going to make my job really difficult. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s moral. You know, yes, they may have the legal authority to detain a 5-year-old, but why?”.

Frey, Walz and Vance

Mayor Frey held a press conference on Thursday, after Vice President JD Vance travelled to Minneapolis and did not meet with him or the governor, during his visit to the city earlier that day. During Vances’ visit, he commanded local officials to “turn down the temperature” in Minneapolis, despite taking no steps to do so himself. It seems a little off. They are currently experiencing protesting and the closing of schools and businesses due to federal agents’ operations, and the VP who visits their city does not meet with local officials, the mayor and the governor. The only reason JD Vance had to travel to Minneapolis was due to the federal need/want to communicate with Minnesotans and they can’t even do that – why? Why not exhaust all avenues before you address the public live?

All of this in mind, it’s almost as if it gives the appearance of helping and trying to cooperate without actually taking the steps to do so, yet still expecting everybody else to adhere to what is expected of them. It seems as though the agenda is to not listen to citizens of Minneapolis – do as I say, not as I do. It is especially out of touch considering the citizens’ point of view, as it is the White House’s direct orders for I.C.E agents to be in Minneapolis.

Federal investigators have also refused to cooperate with Minnesotan state and local prosecutors, hindering efforts to investigate Mr. Ross, the I.C.E agent responsible for Renee Goods’ murder. It shines a light on the clear disconnect between state and federal law, and the almost foaming at the mouth from certain federal officials that operate and prefer the incoherence between the two, if it means that federal gets what they want. According to Minnesota Reformer, there was at least once instance where Vance mislead the public, where he stated, the Trump administration is focused on Minneapolis because “that’s where we have the highest concentration of people who have violated our immigration laws.”. This is false.

False information, written demands from US Attorney General and what it means

Pew Research estimates that 130,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Minnesota as of 2023. Whereas states such as California, Texas, Florida and New York had the highest concentration of unauthorized immigrations, a combined 8 million in 2023. Naturally, it begs the question, why Minneapolis?

Astonishingly, a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi on 24th January 2026, has written demands that Gov. Tim Walz must comply with. Yep, you heard that right. Boot. Neck. You can read the letter here, obtained by Fox News.

The three demands in the letter above are:

“First, share all of Minnesota’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data, with the federal government.”.

“Second, repeal the sanctuary policies that have led to so much crime and violence in your state. All detention facilities in your state should cooperate fully with ICE, honor immigration detainers, and permit ICE to interview detainees in custody to determine immigration status. I urge you to reach an agreement with ICE that allows them to remove illegal aliens in custody of Minnesota’s prisons and jails and avoids pushing these interactions into your streets.”. (It’s full compliance or extortion, essentially blackmailing the state of Minnesota).

“Third, allow the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to access voter rolls to confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Fulfilling this common sense request will better guarantee free and fair elections and boost confidence in the rule of law.”. (What?!)

Getting to the bottom of it. Earlier, we asked, why Minnesota? Upon considering the fact that California, Texas, Florida and New York have the highest amount of undocumented immigrants compared to Minnesota, it is a natural conclusion to state that Minnesota was specifically targeted. With the letter in mind as well as the Pew Research data mentioned above, Bondi’s three demands seem to be the reason behind the choice of choosing Minnesota. On Sunday, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon responded to Bondi’s letter. You can read the full response here.

The statement began, “The answer to Attorney General Bondi’s request is no. Her letter is an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of U.S. Citizens in violation of state and federal law. This comes after repeated and failed attempts by the DOJ to pressure my office into providing the same data.”. He also stated, “Our position on the federal government’s request to access Minnesota voting records starts and ends with the law. The law does not give the federal government the authority to obtain this private data.”. The key doctrines preventing federal overreach are rooted in the U.S Constitution, just one example being The Tenth Amendment and amendment 10.4.2 The Anti-Commandeering Doctrine. In Printz, The Supreme Court noted:

The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers . . . to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policymaking is involved, and no case-by-case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.

In NFIB, Chief Justice Roberts asserted the distinction between permissible conditions and impermissible commandeering collapses in whether to accept the conditions. The states argued and the Court agreed, that the Medicaid expansion’s condition on noncompliance did not offer the states a true choice and was therefore akin to the types of coercion forbidden in New York and Printz.

What we already know, in relation to the three federal demands

Trump expressed to the New York Times that he regrets not getting the US national guard to seize voting machines after his 2020 election defeat. The Times reported that it was discussed during a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, where multiple advisers, lawyers and national security adviser urged him to carry out the idea. Reports published in 2022 show Trump was presented with draft executive orders, detailing how the idea could be carried out. It isn’t new to us, the public, that the Trump admin wants election data. In December 2020, the administration again requested Colorado’s voter data. It is clear that US elections are under threat. This will be absolutely eroding public trust. The Trump administration is distinctly offering a quid-pro-quo out of mayhem, in true business-like form. Don’t forget, Trump is a business man. He is not a politician.

Alex Pretti – Legal POV

New CNN footage shows a deeper analysis on the killing of Alex Pretti. According to CNN, “the cellphone footage of immigration officers fatally shooting Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Taken together, they appear at odds with the Department of Homeland Security’s claims about the killing.”. Minnesota is an open and conceal carry state and he held a licence, he was carrying lawfully. The conversation now is, does having a gun on my person make me more vulnerable to be killed by federal officers? My law degree is screaming prima facie.

The Legal Defence Fund released a statement titled “LDF Condemns Egregious Killing of Alex Pretti by Federal Law Enforcement in Minneapolis”. They assert “the egregious violence exhibited by DHS officers in Minneapolis is unacceptable”, “ICE must be abolished, along with any segments of other federal agencies that facilitate DHS’s abuses” and “It is indefensible for any functioning democracy to use terror, violence, and militaristic force to apprehend people for mere immigration violations and to suppress constitutionally protected expressions of protest and dissent.”. You can read their statement here. AOC also stated on CNN that you do not see immediate evidence of anyone reaching for a fire arm. She continued, “This administration is declaring an openness and a justification for violence against American citizens based on their organizing, based on their political affiliation and they are using the guise of DHS to do it. We have to draw a line in the sand now across sectors, politically, economically, in our media, and more.”.

Renee Good – Legal POV

According to a report released by Lawfare, “Based on what has been publicly released, the whole interaction between Good, Ross, and the other ICE officials was a series of unforced errors by the government. The entire encounter, even accounting for Ross’s own footage, illustrates the general lack of professionalism with which ICE has operated over the past few months and its abandonment of its own internal policies.”.

They also stated, “The agency’s Employee Code of Conduct §5.4 mandates that “ICE employees must be professional, polite, respectful, and patient in all official activities that involve contact with…members of the public, even in the face of considerable provocation.” It is difficult to understand how yelling at a woman to “get out of the fucking car” when she is not acting violent, or calling her a “fucking bitch,” after shooting at her three times, would comport with this rule. ICE’s own disciplinary guidancemandates suspensions for “using rude, impolite, discourteous, unprofessional, obscene…or similarly inappropriate language, gestures, or conduct…to members of the public.” Making improper comments during operations is similarly prohibited and punishable under the guidance.”.

Another important note from their report regarding de-escalation: “Assume, just as a thought experiment, that ICE was properly enforcing either state traffic regulations or federal law and operating pursuant to its own professional guidelines. The question still remains whether they appropriately de-escalated the situation before resorting to force. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons himself recently noted, in an Associated Press feature, that “[i]n any type of law enforcement situation you’d rather de-escalate with words before you have to use any use of force.” The agency’s head firearms instructor promised that “[w]e do our very best to make sure that even though they’re in that [dangerous] environment, that they have the wherewithal to make the proper decision. Nobody wants to be the one to make a bad shot…” But none of the footage thus far released, by bystanders or the agency, reveals any moment in which any of the officers tried to defuse the situation without violence. Ross spent an inordinate amount of time videotaping his interaction with Good on his cellphone, and at no point in his own recording does he attempt to calm the situation or even betray any sense of his own self-possession. The officers who come to assist him do not interact with Good at all, except to run towards her vehicle while shouting “Get out of the car. Get out of the fucking car,” before trying to forcibly open her door.”.

The report continues, “None of the ICE officers appear to be in any hurry to go render aid to Good; they do not approach the crash site tactically, nor do they rush towards it. The only reaction any of the officers seem to have is when Ross appears to exclaim that Good was a “fucking bitch.” ICE personnel actually prevented civilian medics on the scene from rendering any aid. The withholding of aid alone could have serious consequences for the involved officers if they ever find themselves facing a color of law civil rights investigation, as it speaks to a deliberate indifference to a serious medical condition as prohibited by the relevant statute. The notion that law enforcement personnel would rush to provide medical assistance to someone they have just shot seems counterintuitive to those who have never worn a badge, but in the years following the death of George Floyd, the federal government overhauled its guidelines to mandate this very behavior.”. I think the U.S government has a lot of questions to answer regarding the utter preventability of the lives lost in Minnesota at the hands of I.C.E agents.

Most recent update

As of last night, US Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, gave a press conference and essentially tripled down on the rhetoric used by the Trump team. He said, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,”. The head of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Bob Jacobson, said the state’s National Guard troops have been mobilised to back up local law enforcement. With protests continuing and I.C.E still present in Minneapolis, there are no signs so far of de-escalation.

What we do know, is that there are two minnesotans who lost their life for no apparent reason. Two unnecessary deaths. If it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. Those people can’t go about their daily routine anymore, can’t hug and kiss their loved ones, and taken before family and friends could say goodbye. All of it just seems very inhumane, unleashing terror on their own citizens and exposed the families of the victims to seeing their loved one getting shot and killed all over their social media and TV’s.