The governor of Minnesota has backed down, and Trump announced he will send the "border czar" to the state, with possible escalation of the crackdown!
On January 26, 2026, Trump announced that he had a "very smooth and synchronized" call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Brandon Johnson. More importantly, Trump stated that it was Walz who proactively called the White House, requesting cooperation on state affairs and hoping for federal assistance in dealing with "illegal immigrant criminal issues." In response, Trump immediately announced that he would dispatch his newly appointed "border czar," Tom Homan, to Minnesota personally. Tom Homan is well known as an hardliner, notorious for his ruthless methods.
The nearly three-week-long, almost uncontrollable immigration enforcement conflict in Minnesota is now shifting from confrontation to "incorporation." On January 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed a female immigrant on the streets of Minneapolis during an enforcement operation, triggering large-scale protests. Subsequently, on January 14, another incident occurred when a Venezuelan man named Sosa-Celis was violently arrested by ICE breaking into his home, further intensifying public anger. Locals spontaneously organized armed patrols, and far-right groups took advantage of the situation, turning street confrontations into quasi-military conflicts. Governor Walz had previously publicly referred to federal agents as "occupying forces" and mobilized the National Guard to prepare for a hard stand, even stating he would protect communities from "federal invasion."
However, the situation turned around around January 24. Trump unusually invoked the Insurrection Act to threaten sending active-duty troops into the state, while the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the governor and mayor. More importantly, on January 16, although a federal judge, Menendez, issued an injunction limiting ICE's violent enforcement, it did not stop the overall federal action. Faced with political, legal, and military pressure, Walz's tough stance became unsustainable.
Dog Brother thinks, Trump's high-profile announcement that "the governor actively requested help" clearly aims to reshape the narrative: it's not the federal government forcibly intervening, but rather local "voluntary cooperation"; it's not suppression, but "co-governance." This shift in rhetoric paves the way for larger-scale enforcement actions later and also attempts to defuse criticism against him for "violating state rights."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855432426896396/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.