Vance: Just Cooperate and There'll Be Less ICE 'Chaos'

Vice President JD Vance says the key to calming recent unrest in Minneapolis isn't fewer federal agents—it's more cooperation from Democratic leaders. Speaking in the city Thursday after a roundtable with business leaders and law-enforcement officials, Vance argued that clashes around Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations would ease if state and local officials aligned more closely with the Trump administration's immigration agenda, NBC News reports. "I don't need [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz or [Minneapolis Mayor] Jacob Frey ... to come out and say that they agree with JD Vance or Donald Trump on immigration," Vance said. "What I do need them to do is empower their local officials to help our federal officials out" so enforcement can be "less chaotic" and "more targeted."

The visit follows the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, by ICE officer Jonathan Ross, an incident that has fueled protests and scrutiny of federal tactics. Trump and Vance have claimed Good was linked to left-wing protesters and said she was threatening officers as they came toward her car, though they have not provided conclusive evidence. Vance said the shooting is under federal investigation and pushed back on criticism of his earlier claim that Ross had "absolute immunity," calling it "absurd" to suggest the administration believes officers who break the law are shielded from accountability.

Vance acknowledged that ICE and other federal officers "make some mistakes sometimes" and that videos occasionally show misconduct, but he emphasized that "99%" of officers are "doing everything right" under intense pressure. He condemned what he called "a very few far-left agitators" and urged opponents of Trump's immigration policies to use the ballot box or public debate, not street violence. "If you assault a law enforcement officer," he warned, "the Trump administration and the Department of Justice is going to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." Walz responded to Vance's remarks, agreeing "the temperature needs to be turned down," but said that can only happen when ICE leaves the city, CBS News reports. Minneapolis' police chief also warned Thursday that the situation is in danger of becoming "explosive," CNN reports.