Minnesota didn’t volunteer to become the federal government’s favorite chew toy, but that’s exactly what it has become in the seventy‑two hours since ICE agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good — a legal observer, a mother, and a Minnesotan whose only “crime” was watching federal agents do their jobs a little too closely for their comfort and telling the quite portly Jonathan Ross to “go eat lunch”. According to Minneapolis Fire Department records obtained by CBS News, Good was shot at least three times — chest, forearm, and possibly the head — and was still alive when EMS arrived. NBC News reports she was breathing when paramedics reached her, contradicting the administration’s early claims that she died instantly, to cover for the fact that despite it being something they’re required to do, the ICEStapo agents fled without rendering aid. The official story keeps shifting, but the videos don’t.
And the videos are why the regime is panicking.
Because the moment Good’s killing hit the internet, Minnesota exploded — not in chaos, but in clarity. People saw exactly what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods. They saw the car windows smashed, the unconscious man dragged across pavement, the agents barking “Haven’t you learned by what happened?” like the killing of a civilian was a teaching moment. They saw the swagger, the impunity, the absolute confidence that no one would stop them.
And then Minnesota’s leaders did the unthinkable: they tried.
Gov. Tim Walz called the operation “dangerous, unlawful, and an assault on Minnesotans.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to “get the hell out of our city,” a statement that was immediately twisted into a right‑wing fever dream about “ordering police to fight ICE.” Frey clarified, calmly, that he said no such thing — but the truth has never been a speed bump for the people cheering this crackdown.
ICE’s hype squad wasted no time. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino — who has been physically present in the Twin Cities during the surge — told Fox News that Minneapolis leaders are responsible for “daily assaults on ICE agents” and that “90 to 95 percent of Minnesotans” support the crackdown. A number so cartoonishly fake it should come with a laugh track. This is the same Bovino who has been caught lying about ICE operations before, but accuracy is irrelevant when the goal is intimidation.
And then there’s the Miller faction — the architects of cruelty who have spent years fantasizing about a moment like this. They’re calling Minnesota a “model,” a “template,” a “proof of concept.” They’re demanding criminal charges against Walz and Frey for “impeding federal agents,” and the Department of Justice is obliging, opening a criminal investigation into both men for the crime of… saying ICE should stop shooting people. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News their rhetoric was “very close to a federal crime.” Apparently, the First Amendment now has a red‑state exception.
Meanwhile, the federal government is preparing for something bigger. ABC News confirms that 1,500 active‑duty Army paratroopers have been placed on alert for possible deployment to Minnesota. These aren’t weekend reservists. These are 11th Airborne Division troops — the kind you call when you want to send a message. President Trump is openly threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, because nothing says “law and order” like sending the U.S. military to a state where the governor is already mobilizing the National Guard to protect civilians from federal agents.
Walz mobilized the Guard not to crack down on protesters, but because he knows what’s coming. He cited “capacity concerns” and the need to protect infrastructure and public safety as ICE escalates its tactics and the administration signals it may send in troops. Minnesota is bracing for a federal occupation, and the governor is trying to keep the state from becoming a war zone.
And through all of this, Minnesotans are doing what Minnesotans do: fighting back with creativity, stubbornness, and a level of winter‑hardened spite that should terrify anyone who underestimates them. People are pouring water on sidewalks to create ice slicks for ICEstapo agents to slip on. They’re blowing whistles, setting off car alarms, and making so much noise that federal agents can’t tell where anything is coming from. They’re filming everything, even as ICE knocks phones out of hands and shoves observers back. They’re showing up, bundled in parkas, refusing to be intimidated by men with guns who think a badge is a permission slip for violence.
And the law is on their side. ICE cannot enter homes without a judicial warrant. ICE cannot detain people for refusing to answer questions. ICE cannot use force against people who pose no threat. ICE cannot confiscate phones or order people to stop recording. Federal courts have affirmed the right to film law enforcement in public again and again. Minnesota’s own legal guidance reinforces that residents may refuse entry, remain silent, and document everything.
But ICE is acting like none of that applies. And the regime is acting like Minnesota has no right to object.
This is the hypocrisy at the heart of the right‑wing “states’ rights” movement. When a red state wants to defy environmental rules or block civil rights protections, it’s “freedom.” When a blue state tries to stop federal agents from shooting residents and dragging unconscious people across pavement, it’s “obstruction.” The principle isn’t states’ rights. The principle is power.
Minnesota is the canary in the coal mine, and the federal government is swinging a sledgehammer at the cage to see who else flinches. But the people of Minnesota aren’t flinching. They’re standing in the streets, in the cold, in the face of federal violence, and they’re saying no.
And that’s why the regime is afraid.
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