Staff Reports
On January 26, 2026 Governor Tim Walz made a phone call that should remind every American which side stands for safety and which side stands for excuses. After weeks of grandstanding and discouraging local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, Walz quietly agreed to work with the White House on securing violent criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota and to let the administration coordinate more closely with the state. That climbdown is a much-needed win for law and order and proof that pressure and persistence get results.
This showdown didn’t happen in a vacuum — federal enforcement in Minneapolis intensified after the tragic January shootings that set off protests and chaos across the city. For weeks Minnesota leaders leaned into rhetoric that undermined federal officers and tried to paint enforcement as the problem rather than the solution. Now, faced with rising anger from law-abiding citizens and the clear need to protect neighborhoods, Walz opted for cooperation over confrontation.
The Walz administration described the call as productive: the governor pressed for impartial state participation in investigations while the president agreed to have his border czar dispatched and to work on a more coordinated approach for removing violent offenders from local custody. That’s the exact kind of pragmatic, results-focused leadership Minnesotans and Americans want — not virtue-signaling that leaves convicted or suspected criminals walking the streets. If federal and state officials follow through, actual public safety will improve.
Conservatives should be frank: this is a vindication of a tough-on-crime, secure-borders approach. Places where federal enforcement has been allowed to operate have seen tangible drops in crime, and the same commonsense policies can work in Minnesota if allowed to. The politics of sanctuary and obstruction cost communities safety, and Walz’s reversal shows that when elected leaders are forced to choose between optics and ordinary citizens, the people must come first.
Make no mistake, Democrats who cheered on obstruction and weaponized indignation over ICE operations bear responsibility for the breakdown in order. Their reflexive defense of sanctuary postures encouraged criminals and put officers in harm’s way. Minnesotans deserve better than political theater from the people who run their state; they deserve policies that protect families, enforce the law, and remove dangerous offenders regardless of immigration status.
Practically speaking, this means honoring detainers, transferring violent offenders to federal custody when appropriate, and ensuring the state can conduct independent, transparent investigations into any use of force. It also means governors across the country should stop playing politics with enforcement and start partnering with federal authorities to keep their communities safe. Conservatives must press for accountability and guardrails to ensure cooperation produces real removals and safer streets, not just press releases.
This moment should be a rallying point for every patriot who believes in the rule of law. Celebrate the win where it exists, but remain vigilant — cooperation must lead to action, not another round of bureaucratic hand-wringing. President Trump pushed for results and got them; now it’s time for officials in Minnesota to deliver the safety their citizens demand.
