As if things aren’t already bad enough in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and other large liberal cities where people are protesting against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), one protester’s call to take up arms against the agency would be sure to end tragically.
The furor over an ICE officer shooting a protester who hit him with her vehicle last week has only grown since that incident. And local and state politicians seem to be fanning the flames, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey even telling ICE during a press conference to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
Failed vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz hasn’t done much better in trying to calm tempers. In his haste to criticize ICE and the Trump Administration, Walz has even threatened to call up the Minnesota National Guard, ostensibly to throw lawfully authorized ICE officers out of the state.
Amidst the heated rhetoric, one protester’s call to take up guns against ICE seems particularly dangerous. According to a report at Breitbart.com, an unidentified protester outside the Whipple Building Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Minneapolis was asked about Wednesday’s ICE-involved shooting and said, “We have to show up with guns and end this.”
According to the report, the protester said the shooting was done with “no cause,” and the only answer is to come armed to future protests.
“We have to, there’s no way around it,” he continued. “I don’t care if I don’t have a Minnesota carry permit. I’m unarmed right now, but this is the last time I show up to face these guys without a weapon.”
The protester also said that the “time for peace” is over. “They fired the first shot,” he said. “It’s time to end this sh– by any means necessary.”
Additionally, the protester said that waiting until the mid-term elections to try to make a change isn’t feasible given recent events.
“We can’t wait till November,” he concluded. “There’s no waiting till the ballot box, we need to get to the bullet box.”
Carrying a firearm for self-defense, of course, is one of the wisest things to do these days. However, I can’t see things ending well for that protester if he shows up at a protest, pulls a gun and starts shooting at officers. The chances of him getting killed doing so are far higher than during a so-called “peaceful” protest, which often isn’t all that peaceful.
Even worse, the possibility of bystanders being killed is also increased dramatically in such a situation. In the end, no matter how dire this seemingly delusional guy thinks things are, launching an armed attack on federal agents doing the work they’ve been tasked to do is, at the least, ill-advised and possibly suicidal. His death would, however, further fuel the flames of protests, which might just be his idea anyway.
Ultimately, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem warned those who think they can take on ICE officers physically—whether with vehicles or guns—will face serious consequences.
“We are warning anyone, if you think you can harm an individual—a citizen of the United States or a law enforcement officer—we will find you and bring you justice,” Noem said.
