Here we go again. Minnesota’s elected officials have proven that the extreme progressives are in charge in the North Star State, beholden to the radical progressive activists who crawl out of every nook and cranny of the Twin Cities’s prestigious, white, liberal suburbs and exurbs. 
 
If you thought this was still the land of the milquetoast, “Minnesota Nice,” I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. 
 
In the aftermath of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that began last summer and ramped up as the White House began cracking down on widespread fraud, Minnesota has been ground zero for purity tests of the far-Left regime. Now, there’s a horse race for the Democrat Farmer Labor candidate for Minnesota’s Senate seat, after current Senator Tina Smith announced her retirement at the end of this term. 
 
The race to the Left — or the bottom, depending on which way the political winds are blowing — is between current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig. Both women flash their “girl power” bone fides at every chance, except when they’re appealing to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walz-signed-exec-order-protecting-trans-procedures-on-minors-while-holding-hand-of-gender-confused-12-year-old">trans-affirmative activists</a> who claim sex is a social construct, or to the abortion rights radicals who endanger women’s health and applaud the death of baby girls up to the <a href="https://alphanews.org/angie-craig-voted-against-bill-to-establish-protections-for-babies-who-survive-attempted-abortions/">moment of birth</a>. 
 
The latest show of extreme views comes from Craig, who, in a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/ice-agent-surge-minnesota-protests-federal-enforcement/601591429">commentary</a> in The Minnesota Star Tribune, writes of her “regret” in voting for the Laken Riley Act, the first bill that President Donald Trump signed into law in his second term. 
 
It’s “become clear that supporting any bill that gives ICE new authority in this administration was the wrong decision,” Craig writes. She cites the act’s expansion of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to include the detention without bail of noncitizen aliens while their immigration proceedings were pending to nonviolent offenders and provides for detaining aliens who are charged with or convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer. 
 
Craig comes to her lament after standing “side by side with protesters on the streets of Minneapolis and opposite dozens of armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Whipple Federal Building.” She makes no mention of the victims of these aliens’ <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-dozens-criminal-illegal-aliens-convicted-murder-child-rape-and-more">crimes</a> — crimes that put them on the ICE radar and, thanks to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, were free to live as “neighbors” instead of being detained by law enforcement in the local jails. 
 
How did her fellow DFL-er and political rival Peggy Flanagan respond? She pounced on it as an inexcusable failing in the moral purity test that the Minnesota extremist cabal uses as the standard operating procedure in politics. Flanagan posted on X a video clip of Craig voicing her support for the bill before her walk-back, adding, “Nothing can undo the damage that has been done.” Shots fired.
“Minnesotans want common sense,” Michele Tafoya, a Republican seeking that seat, told The Daily Wire. “We want law and order. But we are run by far Left career politicians who put their own careers ahead of the safety of innocent, law-abiding Minnesotans. Some of them are crazy, some of them are cowards and some of them are both. It has to change.”
“Angie Craig turning her back on the Laken Riley Act because her far Left base demands it is a craven act. Moderate Democrats have gone extinct in Minnesota,” she added.
In Minnesota, we were offered a bait-and-switch with Walz, who, in statewide elections and in his miserable bid for vice president alongside Kamala Harris, was touted as an American Everyman action figure, complete with a vintage truck, Mountain Dew, and hunting accessories. But his <a href="https://www.americanexperiment.org/what-america-needs-to-know-about-tim-walz-of-minnesota/">record </a>reveals extremist policies and disdain for the average fellas he was recruited to represent. Walz is one example of a new trend on the Left: Campaign as a moderate and, once elected, push hard-Left, radical policies.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has appeared on various conservative platforms with a moderate <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/15/us-news/gavin-newsom-backtracks-on-outrageous-ice-claims-made-by-his-own-team-in-shapiro-interview/">tone</a>. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger&#8217;s State of the Union <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-rising-stars-sotu-rebuttal-ripped-conservatives-anyone-who-claims-she-moderate-liar">rebuttal</a> last month displayed rank hypocrisy and a laughable attempt at &#8220;Moderate Dem&#8221; rebranding.
Spanberger, who ran as a moderate, is now proposing sweeping, state-wide tax hikes, and criticizing immigration enforcement to the point of <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dhs-blasts-spanberger-potential-release-182714286.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall">denying</a> an ICE detainer for an illegal immigrant with over 30 arrests accused of stabbing a 41-year-old woman to death at a bus stop in Fairfax County. Even socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani leveraged the &#8220;affordability&#8221; buzzword and an inclusive demeanor to obfuscate sky-high tax policies and his anti-Jewish, anti-Israel history.
We’ll continue to see this leftward march, purity tests, and hyperbolic rhetoric in support of these extreme measures — unhindered hormone and surgical procedures on minors for sex transitions, unlimited abortion, allowing males to compete against females in sports and opening bathrooms and locker rooms to all genders — and now siding with criminal aliens against law abiding citizens who truly want their neighborhoods safe rather than be battlegrounds for the latest Karen to proclaim her woke creds with an “ICE OUT” sign and safety whistle. What do you expect from a governor who publicly called ICE officers Nazis and compared them to the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5307956-minnesota-gov-tim-walz-gestapo-trump/">Gestapo</a>? 
 
Rest in peace to the moderate Democrat who understood the errors of the Biden administration&#8217;s open border policy, who saw the damage of crime, rising welfare burdens, failed assimilation, and the deaths of innocent Americans at the hands of illegal aliens, and worked toward a common-sense solution — even (gasp!) voting with Republicans. In fact, high-profile wins like Mamdani&#8217;s and Spanberger&#8217;s have emboldened the progressive wing, raising the possibility of an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <a href="https://x.com/SteveGuest/status/2028301350006595984?s=20">presidential bid</a> in 2028 over a moderate candidate. 
 
Bucking the far-Left puts politicians and civilians alike squarely in the fascist camp — just ask former Minnesota <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4982938-dean-phillips-my-voice-was-ignored/">Congressman Dean Phillips</a> or Pennsylvania <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-old-city-fridays-at-fettermans-protest-gaza-israel-war/">Senator John Fetterman</a>. If you’re a moderate, you’re owed any targeted violence, protest, or condemnation coming your way, even if it’s in a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/anti-ice-mob-storms-minnesota-church-over-pastors-alleged-ties-immigration-enforcement">house of worship</a>. 
 
How far Left are Democrats willing to go? If it’s a way to rile up the extremist base, keep the spotlight off the bottomless fraud scandals, and make the Trump administration Public Enemy Number One, the sky’s the limit. The extremists are at the wheel, and after flattening any moderates in their party, they’ve backed up the truck, ready for another round of hit-and-run.
* * *
Jenna Stocker is editor and publisher of American Experiment’s quarterly magazine. A former Marine Corps officer, Stocker also contributes to The Federalist and National Review.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Minnesota Democrats Hold News Conference Ahead Of State Of The Union

R.I.P. The Moderate Democrat

Abortion

Democrats

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Leftism

Liberalism

Minnesota

Opinion

Progressivism

Transgender

Republican lawmakers repeatedly pushed Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz on Wednesday over his handling of the Feeding Our Future scandal, which federal prosecutors have described as the nation’s largest COVID scam, involving $250 million for meals supposedly going to the hungry. 
Appearing before the House Oversight Committee, Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison faced questions about <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Cost-of-Doing-Nothing_How-Tim-Walz-and-Keith-Ellison-Fueled-Minnesotas-Fraud-Explosion_3.4.26_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">findings</a> cited by Republicans that more than $9 billion in social service fraud has occurred under their watch. Both Democrats have claimed they took appropriate actions to combat and root out fraud. 
“For years, Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison presided over one of the most extensive breakdowns of oversight this committee has ever examined. Billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen from social service programs while warnings piled up, whistleblowers spoke out, and state officials chose delay and denial over action,” Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) said. “Federal prosecutors estimate that as much as $9 billion may have been stolen from just 14 Medicaid programs administered by the state of Minnesota.”
The suspected fraud made up about half of the $18 billion distributed through the programs since 2018, Comer said. One notable example of fraud was the Feeding Our Future scam, in which fraudsters, some of whom were Somali nationals, billed the government for $250 million in meals that were never distributed. 
During the hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) pressed Walz on why payments to Feeding Our Future resumed just one month after the Minnesota Department of Education suspended them over suspected irregularities. 
Walz said they restarted because the agency said that the “court had required them to make those payments.”
Jordan then pointed to a <a href="https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/newsandannouncements/feeding-our-future-v-minnesota-department-of-education-correcting-media-reports-and-statements-by-governor-tim-walz-concerning-orders-issued-by-the-court">statement</a> from the Minnesota Judicial Branch saying Walz had made inaccurate statements about the payments and that the court “never ordered” them to restart. 
“The attorneys at the Department of Education interpreted that differently. Both of those judges are no longer on the bench,” Walz said. 
Walz was also asked about allegations that his office retaliated against whistleblowers who raised concerns about the state&#8217;s handling of fraud. Some have claimed they were told to stay silent over fears of being perceived as “racist” or “Islamophobic.” 
“I can&#8217;t speak to what they said. I can tell you it didn&#8217;t happen,” Walz told Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) when asked about claims his office retaliated against whistleblowers. 
The Trump administration has paused hundreds of millions in federal funding to Minnesota social service programs, citing widespread fraud concerns. 
Vice President JD Vance, who has been tasked by President Trump with leading efforts to combat federal fraud, announced last week that $260 million in Medicaid payments to Minnesota had been paused pending further review.

Minnesota Gov. Walz And AG Ellison Testify At Hearing On Social Services Fraud

Walz Grilled Over Oversight Failures In Nation’s Largest COVID Scam

Congress

Fraud

James Comer

Politics

Tim Walz

Fraudsters are robbing America blind. The federal government <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-105833">estimates</a> fraud costs a family of four roughly $4,000 each year.
Fraud is the inevitable byproduct of a bloated bureaucracy that spends <a href="https://www.bea.gov/data/government/receipts-and-expenditures">$11 trillion annually</a> at the federal, state, and local levels. To conduct an audit, we would need an army of indefatigable accountants. In the past, we couldn’t raise such an army, but now we can. We simply need competent leadership in Congress to deploy it.
This system could have saved <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-feeding-our-future-medicaid-9911799c0d0149a64a042abed095be57">billions</a> in Minnesota alone. Instead of sending millions in taxpayer dollars to the <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/dr-oz-on-medicaid-fraud-fact-finding-mission-in-minnesota-2b-could-be-at-stake/">400 supposed</a> healthcare providers huddled in an industrial building in St. Paul, Minnesota, our government could have sent an FBI team. They would have stopped payments to “<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/dozens-charged-in-250-million-covid-fraud-scheme-092122">Feeding Our Future</a>,” where fraudsters faked child rosters, randomly assigned ages, and reported meal volumes wildly inconsistent with site capacity — the kind of fraud that is easy for an AI to catch.
The technical solution is to use AI to spot and block fraudulent government payments, such as those to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minneapolis-quality-learing-center-is-officially-closed-state-records-show">fake daycares</a> in Minnesota. Your bank already does it. If you live in Minneapolis and your card is used in Florida, your bank will deny the transaction and call you within minutes. By contrast, the government’s optional payment screening service has been branded <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/M-25-32-Preventing-Improper-Payments-and-Protecting-Privacy-Through-Do-Not-Pay.pdf">a failure</a>.
Modern AI tools can detect fraud patterns that fool humans, such as multiple nonprofits with the same address, beneficiaries, board members, and employees. These tools automatically flag anomalies like spikes in billing and implausible service delivery. When something is suspicious, these tools can stop the payment for further investigation by a human team.
Congress should require all agencies to run any payment over $10,000 through a fraud detection system and change the law to allow the government to pause suspicious payments. AI can adjudicate most cases quickly. Narrow exceptions should be made for cases where immediate payments are critical to national security. The system can exist within the Treasury, Government Accountability Office, or even report directly to Congress. Regardless of where it lives, we need an elite team of data scientists, engineers, and investigators who oversee our all-important tax dollars competently and ethically.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and state Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) testify on alleged misuse of federal funds in Minnesota at <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPoversight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPoversight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OversightDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OversightDems</a> – LIVE on C-SPAN3 <a href="https://t.co/LkMJ0ZVExm">https://t.co/LkMJ0ZVExm</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2029197002651701402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Source: @cspan/X.com
But tech is not enough. We need the legal tools to stop fraudulent payments immediately. Would you keep paying the bill on a stolen credit card for years? That’s what the government does. When agencies suspect fraud, they often continue paying fraudsters until a court declares the “vendor” to be violating their contract. “Feeding Our Future” received $250 million of taxpayer money for years after the first <a href="https://www.governing.com/management-and-administration/minnesotas-inadequate-oversight-led-to-250m-meal-program-fraud?utm_source=chatgpt.com">allegations</a> of fraud. When Minnesota’s Department of Education slowed the payments on its suspicions, “Feeding Our Future” sued; the judge <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/judge-rebukes-walz-assertion-that-he-ordered-mde-to-resume-payments-to-feeding-our-future/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">questioned</a> whether the agency had followed the required administrative procedures, and payments to fraudsters resumed. This illustrates a general point — fraudsters know that even credible red flags rarely trigger an immediate stop-pay and criminal prosecution, because agencies lack <a href="https://www.governing.com/management-and-administration/minnesotas-inadequate-oversight-led-to-250m-meal-program-fraud?utm_source=chatgpt.com">investigatory tools</a> and fear losing in court.
Congress, however, lacks technical competence and leadership. While half of all senators are <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48535">lawyers</a> by training, there is only <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48535">one senator</a> with an engineering degree. The Senate is not representative of America’s immense economic growth, driven in large part by technologists. It’s time for us to harness that technology to make the government serve us better.
Our prosperity and freedom are at stake. Polarization and growing mistrust in our institutions, coupled with enormous peacetime deficits, are a combustible mix. We can quell it with technology and competent leadership. Stamping out large-scale fraud could cut our deficit by as much as a quarter. Addressing waste as well could eliminate our deficit entirely. Only when families feel the benefits of our prosperity in their own budgets — through lower taxes, cheaper childcare, and healthcare — will the political pressure cool and give us space to confront our most serious challenges as a nation.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, Americans laid the foundation of the most successful democratic government in the world. Our government grew with our prosperity — eventually making full oversight impossible by human effort alone. Today, we have the technology to make our government the most upright and efficient in the world. We need leaders who are capable and willing to use it to protect our taxes, our freedoms, and our future. 

* * *
Mark York is a Harvard-trained computer scientist and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota. 

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

America Is Bleeding Billions To Fraud — How AI Could Shut It Down

Artificial Intelligence

Banks

Federal Government

Minneapolis

Somalis

Technology

A new report is adding fuel to Republican efforts to frame 2026 as the opening salvo in President Donald Trump’s so-called “War on Fraud,” just days before House lawmakers are set to question Minnesota’s top officials over what the president has described as one of the largest public-fraud scandals in the country.
The State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) <a href="https://sfof.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SFOF-2025-Oversight-Report.pdf">report</a>, released Tuesday morning, claims that 40 conservative state treasurers, auditors, and comptrollers across 28 states recovered or returned $28 billion in taxpayer funds this year through efforts targeting waste, fraud, abuse, unclaimed property, and investment mismanagement. The organization says the report will be issued annually.
In a letter accompanying the report, SFOF CEO OJ Oleka wrote to Vice President JD Vance, who was tasked during the State of the Union with helping lead the administration’s anti-fraud initiative, pledging state-level cooperation with federal enforcement efforts. The letter was also sent to Associate Deputy Attorney General Colin McDonald, recently nominated by Trump to serve as the first Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement at the Justice Department, a role supporters have dubbed the administration’s “fraud czar.”
It comes at an auspicious time for the administration and his supporters. The United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is preparing to question Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over oversight failures connected to a sweeping pandemic-era fraud case involving a federally funded child nutrition program in Minnesota.
During his State of the Union address, Trump singled out Minnesota as a “stunning example” of systemic fraud, alleging that billions in taxpayer funds were siphoned off through fraudulent schemes. Federal prosecutors have previously charged dozens of individuals in connection with the case, which centered on misuse of COVID-relief funds intended to feed low-income children. Court filings have detailed large sums improperly obtained, though the precise dollar totals remain the subject of ongoing legal proceedings.
Republicans argue the case reflects broader governance failures in Democratic-led states. In a statement obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire ahead of the Oversight hearing, Republican Minnesota State Senator Jordan Rasmusson said taxpayers “deserve answers on why billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen through fraudulent schemes under the failed leadership of Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison,” adding that federal intervention has been critical in prosecuting offenders.
Oleka framed the Minnesota case as a cautionary tale. In his statement, also exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire,  he called it “a criminal heist of historic proportions” and argued that eliminating the state treasurer’s office in Minnesota diffused financial oversight authority. Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1998 abolishing the elected treasurer position, consolidating certain duties under other state offices.
Supporters of Walz and Ellison have previously maintained that the fraud was uncovered through state and federal cooperation and that prosecutions demonstrate the system ultimately worked. The governor’s office has said it has implemented additional oversight mechanisms since the scandal emerged.
The SFOF report contrasts what it describes as aggressive fraud recovery efforts in red states with what it characterizes as lax oversight in states like Minnesota.
The new report from the State Financial Officers Foundation details what it describes as a coordinated effort by conservative financial officers to aggressively police public spending and return money to taxpayers.
According to SFOF, its members uncovered $5.7 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse in 2025 alone, while generating or returning another $22.3 billion through investment earnings and unclaimed property programs, totaling $28 billion in what the organization calls protected or restored taxpayer funds.
Among the largest waste and fraud findings highlighted in the report were in Florida, where Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia identified roughly $1.86 billion in what SFOF described as excessive or wasteful local government spending, and in Kentucky, Auditor Allison Ball flagged approximately $1 billion in Medicaid waste and lapsed education funds.
Whether the upcoming Oversight hearing produces new disclosures remains to be seen. But with the White House publicly elevating fraud enforcement as a national priority, and state financial officers positioning themselves as frontline partners, the Minnesota case is likely to serve as a test of competing narratives: one arguing systemic executive failure necessitating strong preemptive action, the other pointing to eventual detection and reaction as evidence of accountability.

Barack Obama Campaigns With Tim Walz On First Day Of Early Voting In Wisconsin

New Report Contrasts Minnesota Fraud With Big Wins For Red State Taxpayers

Crime

Keith Ellison

Trump Administration

U.S.

Authorities arrested more than two dozen additional people for their alleged participation in an anti-ICE mob that stormed a Minnesota church service last month. 
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that 26 more people had been arrested over the incident at Cities Church in St. Paul on January 18, where dozens of people showed up and screamed at congregants during a Sunday morning worship service over accusations that one of the pastors on staff worked for ICE. The protest was streamed live by former CNN host Don Lemon, who claimed he was engaging in independent journalism. 
Multiple left-wing activists have already been arrested over the protest. A judge on Friday unsealed an indictment charging 30 additional people with conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship. They were also charged with attempting to interfere with congregants exercising their First Amendment rights. 
“At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day,” Bondi said on X. “YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”
Those charged included Aziza Mohammed Aboud, Max Richard Adamson, Michael Walker Beute, Ezra Chaim Pye Blumenfeld, Shane Ryan Bollman, Kelly Ann Carey, Monique Cassandra Cullars-Doty, Tiffany Lynn Dunlap, Andrew Jared Edwards, Rachel Rose Goligoski, Amelia Cristin Hansa, Ariel Hauptman, Krista Erin Hogan, Heather Danae Lewis, Danielle Andrea Matthias, Catie Anne Michaelson, Eric Ryan Michaelson, David Anthony Okar, Jarmel James Perry, Cheryl Ann Persigehl, Emmar Monike Pineda-Moreno, Spencer Michael Rodriguez-Bocanegra, Katherine Elizabeth Shaw, Satara Diann Strong Allen, Charles Lee Swenson, Robyn Elise Swenson, Thomas Matthew Tier, Lee Elizabeth Wiedeman Tuggle, John Donald Vergin, and Mark David Weinfurter.
The indictment alleges that two of the defendants, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and Satara Diann Strong Allen, “conducted reconnaissance” around the church on January 17, took video of the area, and made preparations for the next day’s takeover. 
The indictment says that another defendant, Nekima Levy Armstrong, &#8220;interrupted the service with loud declarations about the church harboring a “Director of ICE” and indicating that the time for Judgement had come, and other defendants joined in by yelling and blowing whistles in a takeover attack on the Church, all of which quickly caused the situation in the Church to become chaotic, menacing, and traumatizing to Church members.” 
Another defendant, William Scott Kelly, told young kids at the church that their parents were Nazis, according to the indictment. “Do you know your parents are Nazis? They’re going to burn in hell,” he said, prosecutors allege. 
The indictment said that Lemon, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-arrested-by-feds-for-role-in-minneapolis-church-protest">arrested</a> last month over his participation, positioned himself in front of one of the church’s exit doors and “physically obstructed” congregants from leaving to ask them questions about immigration policy.

Don Lemon, Nekima Levy-Armstrong

Bondi Charges Dozens In Church Takeover And Signals What Comes Next

Dozens More Arrested For Storming Minnesota Church: 'You Cannot Attack A House Of Worship'

Department of Justice

Don Lemon

Pam Bondi

St. Paul

The federal government&#8217;s presence in Minnesota may be winding down, but leftist activists are mobilizing to the Twin Cities for a week of harassing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, calling for the abolition of prisons, and eating at Mexican restaurants. 
Documents <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/a-minnesota-melt-the-ice-week-of-action-includes-a-scheduled-student-walkout-and-sit-in-school-patrols-and-a-training-session-on-sanctuary-schools-facilitated-by-rank-and-file-members/">reviewed</a> by The Daily Wire show the detailed coordination and planning that goes into a week of anti-law enforcement protests collectively called “Bring the Heat! Melt the ICE!.&#8221; From February 25 to March 1, anti-ICE organizers are demonstrating at the state capitol, at hotels where federal agents are staying, and hosting training sessions at local churches. 
“For months now, the Twin Cities have been at the forefront of a struggle against ICE in this country,” a <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Week-of-Action-Welcome.pdf">welcome packet</a> for the week of protest, originally obtained by Defending Education, said. “The stakes have been high, and many strategic and tactical innovations quickly developed here. Such experiments have been promising, but there&#8217;s a long journey ahead of us on the road to abolishing ICE, and we&#8217;re just getting started.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1050391 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1.png" alt="" width="1995" height="772" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1.png 1995w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1-300x116.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1-1024x396.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1-768x297.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.56.35-AM-1-1536x594.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1995px) 100vw, 1995px" /></div>
The activists demand the removal of ICE from Minnesota, the release of “our abducted neighbors,” and closure of &#8220;detention camps,” a statewide eviction moratorium, the dropping of charges against protesters who harassed or assaulted ICE officers, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and the abolishment of ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and prisons. 
The protest comes after border czar Tom Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homan-strikes-deal-in-minnesota-yanks-hundreds-of-immigration-officers">announced</a> a massive drawdown of federal officers in Minnesota. Homan said he had reached a deal with local officials to get more cooperation for ICE officers seeking to arrest illegal aliens. 
One of the activities being planned for the week is protesting at hotels where ICE agents are staying. 
“Grab some friends, noisemakers, and head to a hotel that houses ICE on this list,” a <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2-23_WOA_Schedule.pdf">calendar</a> of planned actions says. “There is no big public noise demo—these are autonomous and decentralized. Please go to the training or check out this guide if you need support hosting one with your affinity group.”
<div id="attachment_1050343" style="width: 1430px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1050343" class="wp-image-1050343 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.22.54-AM.png" alt="" width="1420" height="430" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.22.54-AM.png 1420w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.22.54-AM-300x91.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.22.54-AM-1024x310.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.22.54-AM-768x233.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1420px) 100vw, 1420px" />Defending Education.</div>
Defending Education also obtained a spreadsheet showing hotels that were options for protests, which are being organized by the Sunrise Movement.
<div id="attachment_1050345" style="width: 2135px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1050345" class="size-full wp-image-1050345" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM.png" alt="" width="2125" height="803" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM.png 2125w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM-300x113.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM-1024x387.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM-768x290.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM-1536x580.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-10.23.47-AM-2048x774.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2125px) 100vw, 2125px" />Defending Education.</div>
Multiple anti-ICE protests are also planned at the state capitol building on Thursday and Friday, including a student walkout and sit-in organized by “Twin Cities student organizers,” according to the calendar. 
In the welcome packet, protesters are not instructed to obey the law, but just not document an illegal activity they engage in or witness. 
“In the event that somebody around you is engaging in illegal activity, do not take photos or videos of that, unless it is to record an interaction with law enforcement,” organizers said. “Don&#8217;t write in incriminating ways about illegal activity you observe or participate in.”
<div id="attachment_1050423" style="width: 1440px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1050423" class="size-full wp-image-1050423" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.53.42-AM.png" alt="" width="1430" height="366" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.53.42-AM.png 1430w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.53.42-AM-300x77.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.53.42-AM-1024x262.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-9.53.42-AM-768x197.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px" />Defending Education.</div>
Activists showing up for the week of action will also have the opportunity to join “school patrols” to drive around looking for ICE agents. 
“In Minneapolis, ICE incidents occurred at or within two blocks of public schools every single day for 6 weeks straight. We responded by running about 3000 patrol shifts per week, and that doesn’t even include private schools, charter schools or day cares,” the calendar says. 
The calendar and welcome documents reveal the scope of planning and professional coordination that go into these large-scale protests and the participation of churches and local teachers. 
For example, a Thursday training hosted by Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church is on creating “sanctuary schools.” The training was hosted by activist group Take Action MN. According to the group, they have a presence at “hundreds” of school districts. 
“Sanctuary school teams are a combination of educators and caregivers who do daily protective presence and rapid response around schools, coordinate mutual aid (rides, food relief, rent relief, legal support) and organize together for longer term demands like returning Sanctuary status to schools and abolishing ICE,” the calendar says. “Come learn from caregivers and organizers about how we started these teams and have grown them at hundreds of schools in districts across the state.”
The Minnesota Federation of Educators is set to host a training at the First Universalist Church focused on organizing “our schools to be bases of the working class.”
Erika Sanzi, the senior director of communications at Defending Education, told The Daily Wire that educators&#8217; involvement in these protests reveals how leftist ideology has infiltrated the education system. 
&#8220;It&#8217;s high time that people come to terms with the fact that the call is coming from inside the house. Groups of radicals and revolutionaries that have always agitated on the fringe are now becoming embedded in the K-12 ecosystem by way of teachers&#8217; unions, student unions and even teacher training programs,” she said.  
“The sooner the public accepts that these protests and walkouts are highly coordinated by outside actors, the sooner we can put a stop to it or at least drastically reduce it in our public schools,” she added. 
Other groups participating in the protests include Spring House Ministries, the Red Pine Revolutionary Collective, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America, and Indigenous Roots. 
Activists will get free food from the group Seeds of Peace. Many will stay in other people’s homes for the week of protest. 
“Eat First. Then Smash the State,” the welcome packet said, noting that Muslims participating in Ramadan will be given priority for dinner meals. 
Organizers led by the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America are <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Twin-Cities-DSA-%E2%80%94-Donate-via-ActBlue.pdf">fundraising</a> on Democrat platform ActBlue for food, training, and lodging. 
Other tips from organizers include asking other people their pronouns, using Signal to communicate, and supporting a variety of Mexican restaurants located in St. Paul and Minneapolis. They also warn participants about “right-wing” influencers becoming embedded in their communication systems. 
“We also know that Minneapolis&#8217;s rapid response systems have already been infiltrated by right-wing influencers and government agents,” the welcome packet said. 
Activists are also encouraged to make pilgrimages to the location where convicted felon George Floyd died during an encounter with police, as well as the spot where Renée Nicole Good was shot after attempting to hit an ICE agent with her car.
“As resistance grows, so does our collective grief about those we have loved and lost in the struggle for liberation,&#8221; the welcome packet reads. &#8220;We ask that if you choose to visit these sites, please do so with respect and reverence.&#8221;

Protest For Immigrants And Against ICE In Minneapolis

‘Eat First. Then Smash The State.’ Inside The Anti-ICE Weeklong Plan

Illegal Immigation

Vice President JD Vance announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration would withhold nearly $260 million in Medicaid funding for the Democrat-controlled Minnesota state government following the state&#8217;s massive fraud scandal.
Vance, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the administration&#8217;s anti-fraud crackdown during the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, said that Minnesota must prove that it &#8220;takes its obligation seriously to be good stewards of the American people&#8217;s tax money.&#8221; According to Vance, the Trump administration is withholding reimbursements for Medicaid services that Minnesota already paid for out of the state budget.
&#8220;What this means is that first of all, the providers on the ground in Minnesota have actually already been paid,&#8221; Vance said at a press conference alongside Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. &#8220;What we&#8217;re doing is we&#8217;re stopping the federal payments that will go to the state government until the state government takes its obligations seriously to stop the fraud that&#8217;s being perpetrated against the American taxpayer.&#8221;
Minnesota state leaders, including Democratic Governor Tim Walz, were informed of the Trump administration&#8217;s move, according to Oz, who said the federal government will hold the Medicaid payments until Minnesota properly addresses the fraud.
&#8220;If Minnesota fails to clean up the systems, the state will rack up $1 billion of deferred payments this year,&#8221; Oz <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026781835179565155">said</a>.
Oz assured reporters that the Medicaid funding freeze would not &#8220;hurt&#8221; Minnesota residents, since the state&#8217;s budget has a &#8220;rainy-day fund&#8221; to cover the lapse in funding.
&#8220;If providers and beneficiaries are worried about getting their money and services, please call your governor. These are services the governor has already paid for. We are just not reimbursing the state,&#8221; Oz said, adding, &#8220;This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it&#8217;s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously.&#8221;
Vance has zeroed in on 14 state programs in Minnesota, which include autism service providers and medical service transports that the administration believes are rife with fraud. The Trump administration is giving Walz 60 days to respond to its letter informing the state government of its freeze on Medicaid funding.
The vice president called out so-called services in Minnesota that have received millions in taxpayer dollars, only to make fraudsters rich. Federal prosecutors recently uncovered a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/federal-jury-finds-feeding-our-future-mastermind-and-co-defendant-guilty-250-million">massive fraud scheme</a> in Minnesota, resulting in dozens of convictions so far.
Minnesota&#8217;s “Feeding Our Future” program received federal funds and claimed to distribute meals to hungry children during the COVID pandemic, but allegedly never did so. The vast majority of those charged in the fraud scheme were of Somali descent.
Vance <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026778961930268688">said</a> on Wednesday that the administration also found that a Minnesota program that was supposed to help kids with autism &#8220;has made a number of people rich, not by providing services to needy children, but by allowing fraudsters to take money that ought by right go to American citizens and to American families.&#8221;
Dr. Oz said at the White House press conference that the new Trump administration effort would be the &#8220;largest anti-fraud effort of its kind&#8221; in the history of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. Oz said that a fraud scheme in Minnesota pays mothers around $1,000 to falsely enroll their children as autistic and then Medicaid is billed for millions of dollars in &#8220;services that were never rendered.&#8221;
&#8220;These schemes disproportionately involve immigrant communities,&#8221; Oz <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026781360266830026">added</a>. &#8220;They&#8217;re able to organize efforts, and sometimes they don&#8217;t understand what&#8217;s going on. And ultimately, it diverts resources away from kids who truly have autism.&#8221;
Daycare and learning centers linked to Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis area have also come under <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minneapolis-daycare-fraud-has-been-going-on-at-least-a-decade-and-theres-video-to-prove-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutiny</a> for suspected fraud after independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute video in December that showed him visiting numerous daycares that have received state funding, but don’t appear to be serving any children.

JD Vance

Vance Takes First Major Action As Fraud Czar With Sights Set On Minnesota

Medicaid

Mehmet Oz

Two heroic off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers patrolling in Minnesota saved the life of a four-year-old boy who drowned after falling into a hotel pool.
The young boy&#8217;s panicked mother approached the off-duty officers last Friday as they were eating at a restaurant in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth hoping they could help save her unresponsive son. The officers jumped to the rescue.
The child had been under water for over five minutes after jumping into the pool to find a toy, the local police department said.
The agents performed CPR on the child for several minutes before paramedics arrived and he eventually regained consciousness.
The Daily Wire obtained a letter the Plymouth Police Department sent to ICE in recognition of their heroic actions, saying the federal officers responded &#8220;without hesitation &#8230; immediately began CPR and activated emergency medical services.&#8221;
&#8220;The child was not breathing and showed no signs of life,&#8221; the letter read.
&#8220;In a situation like this, the first few minutes of emergency aid and quality CPR are critical. Without the quick response and professional actions [of the officers] the outcome of this event would have likely been tragic.&#8221;
The department spoke with one of the officers, who they said humbly &#8220;tried to downplay&#8221; their lifesaving work.
&#8220;On behalf of the Plymouth Police Department, I want to extend our thanks and gratitude for the efforts [of the ICE officers] in saving the life of a 4-year-old boy &#8230; truly excellent work,&#8221; the department said.
The Department of Homeland Security is also praising the officers for their &#8220;heroism and swift action &#8230; to save the life of a sweet, innocent child.&#8221;
“If our agents had not been there and stepped up, this would have been a tragic outcome,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Daily Wire.
“Because of their training, these two agents were able to save a life. Our agents are the best of the best. Every single day they put their lives on the line to save American lives. President Trump and Secretary Noem will always stand with our law enforcement. If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them for their service.”
Following two fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents, the Trump administration ended &#8220;Operation Metro Surge,&#8221; which deployed thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota to arrest illegal immigrants and investigate fraud.
The drawdown also came after President Donald Trump&#8217;s border czar brokered a deal, securing what he called &#8220;unprecedented cooperation&#8221; from local authorities who previously refused to work with ICE.
ICE still maintains an office in the Twin Cities and continues operations, albeit at a smaller scale.

Swimming pool in hotel, Albany, Georgia, USA

Heroic ICE Agents Save Four-Year-Old Boy From Drowning In Minnesota Pool

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The Trump administration arrested an illegal immigrant who pretended to be a United States citizen to become a corrections officer in Minnesota.
The alleged &#8220;serial immigration fraudster,&#8221; 45-year-old Morris Brown of Liberia, was captured on January 15 after going AWOL from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/serial-immigration-fraudster-working-as-a-minnesota-corrections-officer-arrested" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Federal authorities said the &#8220;serial fraudster was identified as part of the major enforcement operation that targeted suspected immigration fraud in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area last fall,&#8221; and had &#8220;multiple violations of U.S. immigration law, including overstaying his student visa and making false claims to U.S. citizenship.&#8221;
While the Trump administration recently ended its massive immigration sweeps in Minnesota, dubbed &#8220;Operation Metro Surge,&#8221; officials have made clear that they will not pull federal officers investigating fraud from the North Star State.
“Operation Twin Shield continues to deliver results as the Department of Homeland Security relentlessly pursues those who seek to cheat our immigration system,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement Wednesday.
“This alien tried every trick in the book to remain in the United States after losing legal status. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure he faces justice for his many violations of the law,&#8221; Edlow added.
Brown came into the country in 2014 on a student visa that was &#8220;terminated&#8221; in 2015 after he failed to enroll &#8220;in a full course of study,&#8221; USCIS said.
He also joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2014, despite having no legal immigration status, and went AWOL the next year. He was later apprehended and discharged under other than honorable conditions in 2022.
He applied for a green card under the Liberian Refugee Fairness program in 2020, but was ultimately denied &#8220;due to misrepresentations, including his failure to disclose prior military service and his false claim to U.S. citizenship,&#8221; according to USCIS.
Brown then applied for citizenship &#8220;based on prior military service&#8221; in 2024.
Federal investigators probing allegations of fraud in the Twin Cities looked into Brown&#8217;s citizenship application, finding &#8220;evidence of marriage fraud and prior instances where he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in official documents,&#8221; USCIS said.
It was also discovered that he was employed as a corrections officer with the state.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed that Brown was employed from May 2023 to October 2025, saying that they&#8217;ve provided his employment documents to USCIS, <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/uscis-former-minnesota-corrections-officer-arrested-in-operation-targeting-immigration-fraud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to local news outlet KSTP.
The department claimed to have adhered to federal document verification requirements when it hired Brown, the outlet reported.
“If these federal allegations are accurate, this individual engaged in sophisticated efforts to misrepresent their identity, extending well beyond Minnesota. We are grateful to USCIS and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] for their work in investigating and addressing immigration fraud,” Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said. “We will continue to comply with federal law and work professionally with our federal partners.”
USCIS notified ICE of its findings, resulting in Brown being placed into removal proceedings and facing possible prosecution for his alleged fraud offenses.
Since the Trump administration commenced its mass deportation campaign, federal authorities have discovered several other instances of illegal immigrants working as law enforcement officers.
In early February, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-orleans-police-recruit-turns-out-to-be-illegal-immigrant-fraudster">ICE revealed</a> that officers had arrested an illegal immigrant from Cameroon who was just one week away from graduating from the New Orleans Police Department academy.
In October, federal authorities nabbed Radule Bojovic, an illegal immigrant from Montenegro, who was employed as a police officer with the Hanover Police Department in Illinois.
A judge later granted Bojovic a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-releases-illegal-immigrant-cop-from-ice-custody" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$2,500 immigration bond</a>, and the police department has since allowed him to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-cop-previously-nabbed-by-ice-returns-to-work-for-illinois-police-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">return</a> to work.

Federal Agents Descend On Minneapolis For Immigration Enforcement Operations

‘Serial Fraudster’: Feds Nab Minnesota Corrections Officer Who Lied About U.S. Citizenship

Feds Capture Illegal Immigrant Who Became Minnesota Cop, Went AWOL From National Guard After Lying A

Immigration

Eighth-grade students at a Minnesota middle school were taught in geography class that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents use “tricky &amp; violent tactics,” and were given extra credit for watching a British-produced video on the problem of illegal immigration in the United States.
Materials <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/minnesota-eighth-graders-shown-videos-of-ice-arrests-and-alleged-harassment-of-u-s-citizens-principal-says-its-part-of-state-geography-standards/">obtained</a> by Defending Education show that the students at Hermantown Community School were given a highly politicized lesson on illegal immigration and ICE operations. The materials included a PowerPoint that adopted left-wing talking points on immigration and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UznGbkMcEGw&amp;t=1s">video</a> produced by a British broadcaster on ICE operations in Chicago.
The instruction at the Duluth-area school took place in December 2025 and featured a PowerPoint where students were asked: “In what ways do people think the Ice agents have ‘gone too far’?”
The answer said that ICE agents use “tricky &amp; violent tactics,” that people have died in ICE custody, that agents have not filed “proper paperwork to track arrests,” and wear “masks to hide identities,” according to slides shared with The Daily Wire by Defending Education. 
<div id="attachment_1043893" style="width: 1458px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043893" class="size-full wp-image-1043893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM.png" alt="" width="1448" height="282" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM.png 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-300x58.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-1024x199.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-768x150.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1448px) 100vw, 1448px" />Defending Education.</div>
Another slide accused ICE of arresting and harassing “thousands of LEGAL immigrants and 170 U.S. citizens — including being dragged, tackled, beaten, tased.&#8221; A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QUG8czGScU&amp;t=395s">video</a> linked to in the presenation accused ICE of spying on American citizens. 
<div id="attachment_1044497" style="width: 1555px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1044497" class="size-full wp-image-1044497" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM.png" alt="" width="1545" height="1032" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM.png 1545w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-862x576.png 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-768x513.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-1536x1026.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1545px) 100vw, 1545px" />Defending Education</div>
One slide alleged that detainees were being placed “in overcrowded &amp; inhumane detention centers: super hot or cold, lights on 24/7, solitary confinement in a 2&#215;2 foot box, overflowing toilets, long term shackling &#8230; lacking medical care.” That slide also featured a graphic of a poster claiming the United States was “torturing migrants and asylum seekers.”
<div id="attachment_1043895" style="width: 1420px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043895" class="size-full wp-image-1043895" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM.png" alt="" width="1410" height="1070" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM.png 1410w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-300x228.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-759x576.png 759w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-768x583.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px" />Defending Education.</div>
Another slide downplayed the crime of illegally crossing into the United States.
“The government said they were going to focus on undocumented CRIMINALS, but they are actually deporting mostly otherwise law-abiding undocumented people,” the slide read.
<div id="attachment_1043897" style="width: 1436px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043897" class="size-full wp-image-1043897" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM.png" alt="" width="1426" height="1072" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM.png 1426w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-300x226.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-766x576.png 766w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-768x577.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1426px) 100vw, 1426px" />Defending Education.</div>
In an email obtained by Defending Education, Middle School Principal William Wietman said the presentation was in line with state geography guidelines.
“All of our social studies classes have a current events component to them and this information is part of the MN standards in geography,” he wrote.
Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, told The Daily Wire that the presentation was an example of students being subjected to leftist politics while in the classroom.
&#8220;It&#8217;s bad enough that this biased lesson is replete with falsehoods — but [for] the school principal to defend such garbage truly adds insult to injury,” she said. “Students are being force-fed ideological propaganda during finite lesson time (when they&#8217;re not being encouraged by activist teachers to walk out of their classrooms, that is) and told what to think, rather than how to think. It&#8217;s little wonder that families are fleeing the public education system in droves.”
Students in the class were also given an opportunity to watch a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UznGbkMcEGw&amp;t=1s">19-minute video</a> on their own time for extra credit. The video was produced by the British government-owned broadcaster “Channel 4 News.”
The narrator of the video said that those detained by ICE were denied “due process” and that President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration could “forever” change “America&#8217;s reputation as the land of the free.” He claimed that Trump wasn’t focused on “keeping people out” but “kicking them out instead.”
The British host also claimed that “most people in the U.S. without legal immigration status aren&#8217;t criminals,” ignoring the fact that they broke the law by sneaking into the country.
Another slide linked to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGS90uRQOpY">video</a> from 2016 called “TRUMP IS WRONG: The USA Is ALREADY Great!” One of the reasons cited was having the “world’s largest immigrant population,” and that this “diversity” meant “we get to eat delicious food.”
Part of the <a href="https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2076/Hcs/a5fc7d2a-bff6-4408-ac9a-7a277cd6dc4b/601_School_District_Curriculum_and_Instruction.pdf?disposition=inline">stated goals</a> of Hermantown Community Schools is to use a curriculum that is “antiracist” and “culturally sustaining.” It defines antiracist as “actively working to identify and eliminate racism in all forms in order to change policies, behaviors, and beliefs that perpetuate racist ideas and actions,” and “culturally sustaining” as integrating the practices of “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities who have been and continue to be harmed and erased through the education system.”

MixCollage-16-Feb-2026-10-40-AM-9724

SEE IT: The Anti-ICE Slideshow Given To A Middle School Geography Class

Education

Illegal Immigration

Ex-CNN host Don Lemon pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Minnesota on Friday over his alleged participation in an anti-ICE mob that stormed a St. Paul church last month.
Lemon livestreamed as he accompanied a group of anti-ICE agitators who sat in the Sunday service at Cities Church before loudly interrupting and terrorizing congregants. The video showed Lemon appearing to cover for the group as they met to discuss their plans ahead of time.
Lemon described the operation as a &#8220;secret&#8221; and said, &#8220;[I] can’t tell you what is going to happen, but you’re going to watch it live unfold here on the Don Lemon Show.”
At one point, he said he “turned our camera off of them because they’re giving some critical information here.”
Lemon could also be seen thanking Nekima Levy Armstrong, who is also charged for her alleged role in leading the mob, and kissing her on the cheek. The ex-CNN anchor appeared in court on Friday alongside Armstrong and three other defendants.
Federal authorities arrested Lemon in Los Angeles late last month, charging him with conspiracy to violate the right of religious freedom at a house of worship.
He was also charged with violations of the FACE Act, which prohibits the disruption of worship services. The Biden administration infamously weaponized the FACE Act against peaceful anti-abortion protesters.
Lemon has maintained that his actions during the church-storming incident are protected by the First Amendment since he was there under the guise of being an independent journalist.
He could be heard in his livestream telling multiple parishioners that he was &#8220;not part of the group.”
“I’m just here photographing, I’m a journalist,” he said.
“We’re here just chronicling and reporting. We’re not part of the activist, but we’re here just reporting on them,” he said at another point.
An attorney representing Cities Church said Lemon is not immune from prosecution.
“By pleading not guilty, Don Lemon and other defendants are doubling down on their claim that the press can do whatever they want under the auspices of journalism, while also defending the invasion of a church. This was a coordinated planned operation,&#8221; Renee Carlson, General Counsel for True North Legal, said Friday.
&#8220;The First Amendment does not protect premeditated schemes to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship services, or intimidate children. There is no ‘press pass’ to trespass on church property or conspire to invade religious worship,&#8221; Carlson said, adding &#8220;It is not ‘journalism’ to accost a pastor who was about to read Scripture to his congregation.&#8221;
During Friday&#8217;s hearing, Abbe Lowell, Lemon’s lead attorney, asked for his client&#8217;s phone back after federal authorities confiscated it during his arrest, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-cnn-minnesota-church-protest-immigration-4a110d3e097f86b696281b5c36ce3339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press.
The phone is currently in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security and a search warrant for it is sealed, prosecutors said, adding that it can&#8217;t be returned until a search is completed.
When he exited the church, Lemon acknowledged the terror inflicted upon worshippers as he pointed out a father hugging his distraught child.
“You have to make people uncomfortable in these times. If you see how uncomfortable … and how harsh people are being treated on the streets, you have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That is what this country is about,” he later said.
Lemon also engaged in a debate with one of the parishioners who accused the ex-CNN host of merely posing &#8220;as a journalist.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/all-the-times-don-lemon-made-the-case-against-himself-in-his-livestream">All The Times Don Lemon Made The Case Against Himself In His Livestream</a>

Journalist Don Lemon Appears In St. Paul Federal Court For Hearing

‘NOT GUILTY’: Don Lemon Has Day In Court, Rejects Charge In Church-Storming Case

As ex-CNN host Don Lemon livestreamed the storming of a Minnesota church last month, he documented several instances where he appeared to be covering the anti-ICE protesters&#8217; tracks as he accompanied them from start to finish.
Lemon&#8217;s livestream opened with him standing near the group of activists, who he said were &#8220;gearing up for resistance and protest.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
INTENT: The opening to Don Lemon’s insane livestream is an admission of foreknowledge that the group he was in contact with was going to storm a church, based on his prior communications with its leader. <a href="https://t.co/g0GVHB4871">pic.twitter.com/g0GVHB4871</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/2013219366574145723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
The group gathered in a parking lot to practice anti-ICE chants.
At that point in his video, Lemon asserted that the operation was &#8220;secret,&#8221; adding, &#8220;[I] can&#8217;t tell you what is going to happen, but you&#8217;re going to watch it live unfold here on the Don Lemon Show.&#8221;
He continued to conceal the group&#8217;s plans, saying that he &#8220;turned our camera off of them because they&#8217;re giving some critical information here.&#8221;
Lemon could also be seen thanking the members of the group, including its ringleader, Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was also later arrested for her alleged role in carrying out the disruption.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨Pam Bondi just announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, the alleged organizer of last weekend&#8217;s Anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul Church.
Here&#8217;s Don Lemon giving her an awkward kiss before it went down.
Could Don be next? <a href="https://t.co/8qiNyrN3Q1">pic.twitter.com/8qiNyrN3Q1</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2014361821537272139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;How are you? Good to see you,&#8221; Lemon said to Armstrong as he leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
&#8220;We&#8217;re on, we&#8217;re not saying what it is, what&#8217;s going on, but thank you,&#8221; he said.
Lemon was seen entering the church and could be heard sitting in on the service.
The agitators then began their interruption.
He also acknowledged seeing the terror inflicted upon worshippers inside the church.
&#8220;I&#8217;m looking at a young man who&#8217;s in the corner. He&#8217;s frightened. He&#8217;s scared, he&#8217;s crying. People are leaving church,&#8221; he said.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/sJY801wVGQMO36wJ5eGDxQVokwToLzr32?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=ad2da589-22a5-4b28-93de-01ab31664461&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Don%20Lemon%20Stands%20Outside%20Minnesota%20Church&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2Fb6639645-345f-4255-93b9-9e952fd9e01d.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Outside, Lemon showed a father hugging his distraught child.
&#8220;You have to make people uncomfortable in these times. If you see how uncomfortable &#8230; and how harsh people are being treated on the streets, you have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That is what this country is about,&#8221; he later said.
He then asked Armstrong for help tracking down the pastor.
“Who is the person that we should talk to? Is there a pastor or something?” Lemon asked as Armstrong pointed toward the pastor, whom she said “might have run away.&#8221;
Lemon was also seen confronting the pastor, asserting, &#8220;Listen, we live in a — there&#8217;s a Constitution and the First Amendment to freedom of speech and freedom to assemble and protest.&#8221;
&#8220;Don&#8217;t you think that Jesus would be understanding and love these folks?&#8221; Lemon asked the pastor.
The pastor eventually asks him to &#8220;leave.&#8221;
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/heTuMW7dZshN3QGZL1VSHXpiLgBdQ8FL?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=7ca6fb45-f31f-4b8c-84fe-8b669b6e20e4&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Don%20Lemon%20Confronts%20Minnesota%20Pastor&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F773a300c-0de7-4610-8edf-7998b8cf2794.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Lemon was also seen lecturing a worshipper, who accused the group of &#8220;trespassing.&#8221;
He then attempted to challenge another with &#8220;facts,&#8221; asking questions like, &#8220;Did you know that undocumented people and immigrants commit far less crime than American citizens?&#8221;
When the parishioner said &#8220;we&#8217;re done here,&#8221; Lemon continued to push him: &#8220;You won&#8217;t listen, I&#8217;m giving you the facts.&#8221;
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/LsTMRuPylh561O01LJPBpLPc02oxeZ6ELY?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=ef0dc23d-f4a8-4856-b2d7-f2799f3a5cc2&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Don%20Lemon%20Lectures%20Churchgoer&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F151cb151-ac22-4a0b-acdd-1e7d57ad8004.png&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Lemon was seen standing outside the church, where he continued to push anti-ICE beliefs on the parishioners as they fled.
&#8220;I imagine it&#8217;s uncomfortable and traumatic for the people here &#8230; but that&#8217;s what protesting is about,&#8221; Lemon said.
The man hit back at Lemon, who said the ex-CNN anchor was posing &#8220;as a journalist.&#8221;
After departing the church, Lemon acknowledged allegedly taking part in keeping the group&#8217;s plans under wraps.
&#8220;What I said was going to happen happened. We could not tell you, you know, what it was,&#8221; he said.
Federal authorities arrested Lemon Thursday evening in Los Angeles. He faces charges of conspiracy to violate the right of religious freedom at a house of worship and violations of the FACE Act, a law that, in part, prohibits the disruption of worship services, which the Biden administration infamously weaponized against peaceful anti-abortion protesters.
He has since been released from custody, but continues to fight the charges.
Lemon claimed he was covering the protest as an independent journalist, asserting that his actions are protected by the First Amendment.
During his livestream, he also told multiple parishioners that &#8220;I&#8217;m not part of the group.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m just here photographing, I&#8217;m a journalist,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re here just chronicling and reporting. We&#8217;re not part of the activist, but we&#8217;re here just reporting on them,&#8221; he said at another point.

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All The Times Don Lemon Made The Case Against Himself In His Livestream

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