White House officials said Vance will meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and give remarks praising their work.
Anti-ICE protesters appear during Minnesota church service
Anti-ICE protesters appear during a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Vice President J.D. Vance’s arrival in Minneapolis on January 22 could heat up Minnesota’s political pressure cooker even more.
The state has become ground zero in President Donald Trump’s fight over aggressive deportations, as he expands immigration enforcement in the state following ICE-involved shootings. The president has threatened to send the military to the state to quell the protests, and the Justice Department on Jan. 20 subpoenaed Minnesota elected officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, with whom Trump and Vance have exchanged insults.
Vance will meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to praise their work and criticize Minneapolis’ “sanctuary” policy that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, White House officials said.
The vice president’s office said in an email that the vice president will focus on “restoring law and order in Minnesota.”
Vance has been one of the Trump administration’s most vocal defenders of ICE and opposition to federal immigration enforcement actions, and his visit is another sign of the administration’s readiness to continue to take a strong stance on the issue.
“Trump is not backing down,” said Alex Conant, a Republican consultant. “As Democrats rally against ICE enforcement in Minneapolis, I think the Trump administration has doubled down on it, as expected. And…the stakes continue to rise for what’s happening in Minneapolis.”
On January 20, President Trump opened a White House press conference to mark his first anniversary in office by displaying photos of those detained in Minnesota and praising the operation.
President Trump held up a page with photos of those detained that read “Minnesota’s Worst of the Worst,” saying, “Minnesota is in such a big fight that I think this is appropriate.”
But the president also spoke softly about the shooting death of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, saying, “I feel terrible,” adding that he heard her father was a “huge Trump fan” and “I hope he still feels that way.” He also said ICE “occasionally makes mistakes.”
After Goode’s death, Vance slammed Democrats, accusing them of “rallying the mob against legitimate law enforcement operations.” He also staunchly defended ICE and the agent who shot and killed Good, while blaming the 37-year-old’s mother for her own death.
The immigration dispute, which is unfolding against the backdrop of a massive fraud investigation into federal programs in Minnesota that has resulted in the indictment of dozens of Somali-Americans, is an issue that has put the state’s Democratic Party on the defensive and is one the Trump administration wants to highlight. Walz, a former Democratic vice presidential candidate, has chosen not to seek reelection amid an ongoing fraud investigation.
Polls show partisan polarization over ICE tactics
As ICE operations become increasingly unpopular in public opinion polls, Vance finds himself at the center of an unfolding drama.
A CNN poll after Goode’s shooting found that a majority of adults do not believe it is justified and believe it is making cities less safe, saying it reflects a larger problem with ICE. According to a CBS poll, 61% of Americans think ICE is too harsh when detaining people.
Good’s shooting sparked protests against ICE across the United States.‘s tactics.
A new Wall Street Journal poll found that a majority of voters disapprove of President Trump’s record on immigration.
“Immigration is a sensitive and complex issue, but the government treats it in a very black-and-white manner,” Conant said. “Most of the time it’s politically advantageous, but sometimes it does things that make most people uncomfortable. I think some of the pictures of ICE raids are very disturbing to independent voters.”
But a majority of Republicans polled by CBS said anti-ICE protesters have gone too far. The Jan. 18 protest that disrupted services at St. Paul’s Church has spurred debate, and the Justice Department has launched an investigation.
As tensions continue to rise in Minnesota, Mr. Vance and Mr. Trump have shown little interest in lowering the temperature. The state is at the center of two key issues for the White House: immigration and government fraud, and “it stands to reason that the Trump administration will do whatever it takes to get this done,” said Mark Bednar, a Republican strategist and former House Republican leadership aide.
Insurrection Act Threat
President Trump’s aggressive stance toward Minnesota includes threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy U.S. troops to quell an insurrection or civil war or if federal law is obstructed.
Military leaders recently ordered Army troops stationed in North Carolina to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, MS Now reported. And 1,500 soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division are on standby for deployment to Minnesota, defense officials told USA TODAY.
The Justice Department has launched an investigation into Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, focusing on whether they obstructed federal immigration efforts, recently issuing subpoenas to them, and the administration has flooded the state with immigration officials. In a Jan. 20 statement, Walz called the investigation “partisan obstruction.”
“Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence, and neither will I,” Walz said.
Walz and Frey’s offices did not respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment about Vance’s impending visit.
Vance has often served as the administration’s attack dog, slamming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during visits to the Oval Office.
The vice president made a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room on January 8, condemning media coverage of Goode’s shooting and staunchly defending ICE.
“The president supports ICE,” Vance said. “I support ICE.”
Frey described Vance’s self-defense shooting as “garbage.” Frey called on ICE to leave the city.
The vice president condemned Goode’s shooting, calling it “a tragedy that befell this woman.” He also said Good was part of a “broad left-wing network that attacks, oppresses, assaults, and disables ICE officers from doing their jobs.”
The Trump administration has provided no public evidence that Goode is connected to a broader network. Attorney Antonio Romanucci, who is representing Good’s family, said his team is “aggressively addressing persistent falsehoods circulating online that misrepresent Renee Good’s background.”
Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota have resigned after the Justice Department pushed to investigate Goode’s widow, according to the New York Times. This includes the department’s number two employee.
Protests intensify
Protesters clashed with federal officers in Minneapolis in the wake of Goode’s shooting, and community organizers are now planning statewide action on January 23rd. They are asking people to stay home from work and school and avoid shopping.
“The time has come for all Minnesotans who love this state and the concepts of truth and freedom to speak out and stand in solidarity for our neighbors and colleagues living under this federal occupation,” Chelsea Glaubitz Gabio, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement.
Bednar said it could help the Trump administration to have Vance “on the ground” to make the administration’s case “very visible” and push back against the state’s high-profile Democratic leaders.
Immigration enforcement has been a central issue for President Trump since he first ran for president in 2015. When he returned to office last year, he launched a massive deportation effort that included deploying the National Guard to Democratic-controlled states and cities, leading to clashes with local leaders.
This confrontational approach has reached new heights in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has stepped up its fraud investigation.
Mr. Vance recently announced a new assistant attorney general position focused on fraud across the country.
Democrats have dominated statewide politics in Minnesota in recent years, but Trump lost by just 4 points in 2024 and by 1.5 points in 2016. Republicans running this year are focusing on fraud issues, including the gubernatorial race and the race for the Senate seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
At the same time, the immigration debate has introduced another politically explosive issue in states where Republicans are trying to win support.
Conant pointed out that if Republicans can make Minnesota more competitive, it could have a big impact, “not only on the balance of power next year, but making Minnesota a true purple state in the future will be very problematic for Democrats.”
Contributor: Josh Meyer, Cybele Mays-Osterman
