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‘Scourge’ of sexual predators, violent criminals being removed from Minneapolis streets despite backlash

‘Scourge’ of sexual predators, violent criminals being removed from Minneapolis streets despite backlash

Despite widespread protests and intense pressure from local and state politicians to cease operations, the Department of Homeland Security said that its agents are continuing to remove the “scourge” of sexual predators, violent assailants, domestic abusers and drug traffickers from Minneapolis streets. Immigration enforcement agents in the city have faced intense opposition from anti-ICE agitators, especially since the fatal shooting of activist Renee Nicole Good. Despite this, DHS said its efforts in Minneapolis, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” have continued to nab illegal immigrants with serious criminal records. Among those arrested by DHS agents this week is Teng Houa Vang, an illegal alien from Thailand, who, according to the agency, has been convicted of domestic assault and pled guilty to terroristic threats and violation of a protection order. He has also been charged with arson, peeping tom, obstructing police, trespassing, assault, drug possession, and property damage. Another, Michael Opeoluwa Egbele, from Nigeria, was arrested by immigration officials on Tuesday and has been convicted of fraud and impersonation. MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR DEFENDS SANCTUARY STANCE AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY KILLS WOMAN WHILE DRUNK DRIVING A third, Francisco Salazar-Solorzano, from El Salvador, was also arrested on Tuesday and has been charged with assault, domestic violence, and driving under the influence of liquor. Mexican illegal immigrant Victor Javier Bahena-Sandoval was also arrested in Minneapolis and has a criminal history that includes an arrest for domestic violence and convictions for four counts of disorderly conduct and illegal re-entry. Another Mexican national, Santiago Antunes Mendiola, was arrested the same day and has been charged with battery. Spanish national Lorenzo Armillas Llaurado was nabbed as well and has been convicted of felony distribution of a controlled substance. ANGRY MOB CAUGHT ON CAMERA HURLING PROFANITY, DEMANDS FEDERAL AGENTS LEAVE MINNESOTA MEXICAN RESTAURANT In a Wednesday statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated, “We are in Minnesota to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” McLaughlin said that Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “refuse to let us into their jails and instead chose to release criminal illegal aliens back into Minnesota neighborhoods to victimize more Americans.” “Despite violence against them and a lack of cooperation from sanctuary politicians, our law enforcement will not stop their efforts to get criminals out of our country,” McLaughlin went on. “Another day, another scourge of sexual predators, violent assailants, domestic abusers, and drug traffickers arrested from the streets of Minnesota by our law enforcement.” RENEE GOOD’S FORMER FATHER-IN-LAW SAYS ‘I DON’T BLAME ICE’ FOR DEADLY SHOOTING Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Walz and Frey but did not immediately receive a response. 

Democrat insider rips Mamdani bidet hopes for Gracie Mansion, cites Trump White House bathroom reno hypocrisy

Democrat insider rips Mamdani bidet hopes for Gracie Mansion, cites Trump White House bathroom reno hypocrisy

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially moved into the historic Gracie Mansion, and he’s already hoping to make changes. The mayor spoke to reporters on Jan. 12 and shared his “aspirational hope” to have a few bidets installed in the mayor’s residence. “One thing that we will change is we will be installing a few bidets into Gracie Mansion,” Mamdani said. “That’s an aspirational hope. We’ll see if we can get it done.” A prominent New York City Democrat mocked the mayor’s idea, painting it as a rich man’s fantasy coming from someone who preaches socialism. “He’s been mayor for a minute and now the socialist thinks he’s flush with so much cash he can buy bidets,” the prominent Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital. MAMDANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN TEXTING AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK — AS UNLIKELY BROMANCE BLOSSOMS: SOURCES When speaking to Fox News Digital, the prominent Democrat pointed out the difference between the reaction to Mamdani’s “aspirational hope” to add bidets versus President Donald Trump‘s renovations to the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom bathroom. Trump posted photos of the renovated bathroom on Truth Social in November celebrating the upgrade which included “highly-polished, statuary marble.” While the president argued that the renovation was in line with the original vision for the space, historians disagreed and comedians mocked him. John Oliver, the host of “Last Week Tonight,” called it “tone-deaf.” The president’s renovations to the East Wing ballroom have also drawn criticism and mockery with Democrats taking aim at the president over the project. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during an appearance on MSNBC that Trump “found time to demolish the East Wing of the White House so that he can build a ballroom where he can be celebrated as if he was a king.” The East Wing renovation was mocked on “Saturday Night Live,” which did a skit featuring James Austin Johnson as Trump and Miles Teller as Drew and Jonathan Scott from HGTV’s popular home makeover show “The Property Brothers.” The mockery didn’t end there. During a “Weekend Update” segment, Michael Che said he was glad the floor looked “slippery,” according to the Architect’s Newspaper. MAMDANI SPEAKS ABOUT ‘WEIRDEST THING’ HE SAW DURING TRUMP WHITE HOUSE VISIT The Gracie Mansion Conservancy’s website notes that the residence was originally built by Archibald Gracie, a prosperous merchant, in 1799 and was originally a country house located five miles north of what was then known as New York City. Since then, the city has expanded and the mansion is currently located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which is known to be one of the wealthier parts of the city. The conservancy also stated that Gracie Mansion is one of the oldest surviving wooden structures in Manhattan and has served as the official residence of New York City mayors since 1942. “Parks Commissioner Robert Moses convinced City authorities to designate the Gracie Mansion as the official residence of the Mayor in 1942 when Fiorello H. La Guardia and his family moved into the house,” the conservancy’s website reads. HomeAdvisor, a home-improvement cost and contractor marketplace owned by Angi, said in 2025 that the average cost to install a bidet was $640, with a typical range of $400 to $1,500. The site noted that costs can run as low as $40 or as high as $2,000. The bidet type, size and quality, as well as necessary plumbing modifications can impact the installation cost. Meanwhile, HomeGuide, a home-improvement cost guide that compiles pricing data from contractors and project estimates, broke down bidet pricing by unit and installation. The site said a standalone bidet could cost between $700 and $2,600 including installation, while the unit and installation cost for a bidet attachment typically ranges from $100 to $300. It is unclear how exactly the city would install bidets in Gracie Mansion. New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection celebrated Mamdani’s announcement, saying that “more bidets = fewer wet wipes.”

What would Trump’s use of the Insurrection Act look like in Minnesota?

What would Trump’s use of the Insurrection Act look like in Minnesota?

President Donald Trump responded to unrest in Minnesota this week by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, which critics said would amount to federal overreach and unnecessarily militarize cities. Trump’s potential use of the Insurrection Act would be the latest in a list of several instances of presidents using it and would allow active-duty U.S. military troops to conduct law enforcement within the state. The statute authorizes the president to take the extraordinary step of deploying the military in the country under certain circumstances, including, according to the text of the law, when “unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion” make it “impracticable to enforce the laws.” TRUMP THREATENS TO INVOKE INSURRECTION ACT IN MINNESOTA IF AGITATORS KEEP ATTACKING FEDERAL OFFICERS The powerful law allows the president to “take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress [an] insurrection” when state officials are unwilling or unable to. The law functions as an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which says the military cannot be used as a domestic police force, and it allows the president to bypass Congress.  Trump seeks to stop ‘professional agitators’ Trump framed the possible use of the Insurrection Act as a means of addressing what he said were failures by Minnesota’s Democratic leadership. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” he wrote. On Friday, he told reporters he did not plan to use it, for now, but that he has not ruled it out. “It has been used by 48% of the presidents as of this moment,” Trump said, adding, “If I needed it, I’d use it. I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it.” His remarks come as protests and instances of vandalism and violence continue to rock Minneapolis. Tensions skyrocketed this month after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who had an altercation with ICE that the FBI is now investigating as a possible assault on the agent. DHS ARRESTS ARMED MAN WITH EXTRA AMMUNITION FOR ASSAULTING FEDERAL OFFICER AT LATE-NIGHT MINNEAPOLIS RIOT The shooting came as DHS has deployed thousands of ICE agents to Minnesota in recent weeks as part of what it dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” which has led to at least 2,000 arrests, according to court papers filed as part of a lawsuit Minnesota’s leaders brought against the administration over the crackdown. A federal judge recently denied Minnesota’s request for an emergency order that would have paused ICE’s work. Minnesota’s leaders, openly at odds with the administration, argued the Insurrection Act would improperly militarize a domestic conflict that should be handled by the state. “Minnesota needs ICE to leave, not an escalation that brings additional federal troops beyond the 3,000 [ICE agents] already here,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote on X. “My priority is keeping local law enforcement focused on public safety, not diverted by federal overreach.” Gov. Tim Walz responded to Trump’s call by asking him to “turn the temperature down.” Asked about what would justify the use of the Insurrection Act, Chad Wolf, America First Policy Institute’s chair of Homeland Security and Immigration, told Fox News Digital the president could have “little choice” but to invoke the Insurrection Act. “If the situation on the ground in Minneapolis continues to grow violent, with ICE officers being targeted and injured as well as other violent acts, and Governor Walz and Mayor Frey continue to restrict local law enforcement from doing their job and encouraging their residents to resist ICE, President Trump will have little choice,” Wolf, former acting secretary of DHS, said. “Local leadership is currently taking all the wrong steps and making the situation worse. I hope commonsense will eventually prevail.” What could the military do in Minnesota? There are few restrictions on how Trump could use the military in Minnesota if he were to do so under the Insurrection Act, which legal experts say is lacking in specifics and gives the president wide latitude. The Trump administration would first draft an order outlining which military forces would be used and how. MIKE DAVIS: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MINNESOTA IS WHY WE HAVE THE INSURRECTION ACT The president could then direct the troops to carry out numerous tasks, such as enforcing federal laws, breaking up protests, or otherwise suppressing what Trump deems to be rebellious activity. What else have presidents used it for? The Insurrection Act dates back to 1807, and although it has been used several times, Trump would be the first to invoke it since President George H.W. Bush used it to quell Los Angeles riots in 1992. President Abraham Lincoln used what amounted to Insurrection Act powers to respond to a rebellion within the Confederacy in the Civil War era. In the 1940s, President Franklin Roosevelt deployed 6,000 Army troops to Detroit in response to race riots under the Insurrection Act. President Dwight Eisenhower used the law to deploy the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, in the 1950s to enforce civil rights laws in the face of resistance from the state. President John F. Kennedy later used the military for similar purposes in Alabama. Would the Insurrection Act stand up in court? Trump federalized the National Guard under Title 10, a separate statute, to respond to anti-ICE activity in Illinois and Oregon, but the Supreme Court recently halted those deployments. Trump would be testing out an alternative by invoking the Insurrection Act, which has faced minimal scrutiny in the courts. Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital he hoped the use of the Insurrection Act could be avoided but that Trump would have a solid legal argument if it were challenged in court. “The rhetoric of the mayor and the governor has only strengthened the case for the Administration in fueling

Minnesota Dept of Corrections dismisses DHS narrative about them not complying with ICE

Minnesota Dept of Corrections dismisses DHS narrative about them not complying with ICE

The Trump administration accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “actively organizing” anti-ICE resistance after officials from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of lying about how the state is handling its illegal immigration problem.  DHS called on Walz and Frey earlier this week to honor federal immigration detainers for the more than 1,300 illegal aliens that the federal agency said the state of Minnesota had in custody, accusing officials in the state of releasing nearly 470 criminal illegal immigrants onto Minneapolis’ streets. Walz’s office subsequently disputed DHS’s claim, calling it “categorically false” that the state does not honor federal immigration detainers, meant to hold criminal illegal aliens in custody after committing a crime until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can come pick them up.        In a press release Thursday, the Minnesota DOC echoed Walz’s verbiage that DHS’s claims were “categorically false,” adding that they are “unsupported by facts and deeply irresponsible” as well. The Minnesota DOC also claimed that they have “always” coordinated with ICE agents when individuals in custody have detainers. ICE RELEASES PHOTOS AFTER VIOLENT MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTS LEAVE MULTIPLE ALLEGED AGITATORS ARRESTED “The Minnesota Department of Corrections honors all federal and local detainers, including those issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” said the Minnesota DOC. “DHS’s assertion that 1,360 non-U.S. citizens are in Minnesota’s state custody is inexplicable. Minnesota’s total state prison population is approximately 8,000 individuals, and only 207 (less than 3 percent) are non-U.S. citizens. Further, in 2025, 84 individuals with ICE detainers were released. In each case, ICE was notified in advance and DOC staff coordinated with ICE officials to facilitate the custody transfer when requested.” According to the Minnesota DOC, DHS did not identify which “jurisdictions, systems, or timeframes” were relied upon by the agency to support their numbers, and said that they did not align “with DOC records or the reality of Minnesota’s prison system.” But the Trump administration stood behind their numbers and claims in a statement to Fox News Digital from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, arguing Walz and Frey were “actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers.” “As DHS stated, across the state of Minnesota nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens including violent criminal illegal aliens have been RELEASED into communities. We have more than 1,360 active detainers on illegal aliens in the custody across all jurisdictions in Minnesota,” McLaughlin said. “We are once again calling on Governor Walz and his fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to honoring all ICE detainers.”  REPUBLICANS URGE TRUMP NOT TO INVOKE INSURRECTION ACT IN MINNEAPOLIS AMID UNREST AFTER ICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING On the heels of a fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month involving federal ICE officers, Minneapolis Mayor Frey told Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to “get the f—- out” of his city, while Walz similarly told the Trump administration to “leave Minnesota alone.” Mayor Frey has also issued an executive order prohibiting federal agents from using city property to conduct operations, and a city separation ordinance was recently bolstered by local Minneapolis officials to protect illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, in February, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a formal opinion arguing state law prohibited state and local law enforcement from holding someone solely on an ICE civil detainer. The danger of not properly adhering to ICE detainers reared its head in December after an illegal immigrant with a detainer in Northern Virginia was released from custody and then subsequently killed someone a day later. On Friday, two sources familiar with the probe indicated that federal prosecutors were investigating both Walz and Frey for allegedly impeding law enforcement efforts in the blue state. Sources said the investigation is in early stages, and it is unclear if it will result in any criminal charges.