Vice President JD Vance on Sunday publicly criticized local authorities in Minneapolis for their failure to support federal immigration officers and law enforcement during heightened enforcement operations in the city, saying the situation has led to disorder and danger for officers.
In a post on X, Vance recounted an incident in which off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers dining in Minneapolis were reportedly "doxed" and surrounded at a restaurant.
Vance wrote, "The officers were locked in the restaurant, and local police refused to respond to their pleas for help (as they've been directed by local authorities). Eventually, their fellow federal agents came to their aid. This is just a taste of what's happening in Minneapolis because state and local officials refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement."
Vance said the episode reflected broader problems stemming from what he called a lack of cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local officials.
He blamed local leadership for creating "chaos" and suggested that political opposition to immigration enforcement has hampered law enforcement efforts.
"They have created the chaos so they can have moments like yesterday, where someone tragically dies and politicians get to grandstand about the evils of enforcing the border," Vance wrote.
"The solution is staring everyone in the face. I hope authorities in Minneapolis stop this madness."
The comments from Vance come amid a sharply polarized response to a surge of federal immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis, part of a nationwide effort led by the Department of Homeland Security.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.