When you think about recent events in the Middle East, it’s easier to understand what’s happening in Minnesota.
There are significant parallels between the tactics of Hamas and pro-illegal immigrant agitators. Start with this. Both have no realistic way to achieve their objective through conventional means.
Despite the brutality of the Oct. 7 massacre, Hamas couldn’t defeat Israel militarily. That’s the reason it had to rely on a surprise attack. In response, Israel decimated Hamas’s leadership.
President Donald Trump ran on deporting illegal immigrants, and voters gave him a resounding victory in 2024. Unlike most politicians, Trump is actually keeping his promises. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, there’s plenty of funding to deport illegal immigrants, too.
The proper way to counter this would be for pro-illegal immigrant activists to win an election or two. Then, they could change the law. But the left’s commitment to democracy fades when its opponents are in power.
Outmatched in bullets and ballots, both groups have sought to use political pressure to achieve their aims. Putting their own people in danger is key to these efforts. Hamas hides its military infrastructure in and around hospitals and schools. Israel either avoids attacking legitimate military targets, or Hamas rushes out pictures of dead women and children.
Something similar is happening in Minnesota. Agitators are actively stalking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then physically trying to prevent federal agents from arresting illegal immigrants. Crowd control should be a job for local cops. But Minnesota politicians have prevented local police from coordinating with ICE. In December, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara even told residents to call the cops on ICE.
Federal agents are put in a no-win situation. Either they allow agitators to stop them from arresting a criminal illegal immigrant, or they must use physical force to arrest the agitators. At a minimum, that will produce ugly-looking videos. Twice when an agitator has resisted, things have turned deadly. Illegal immigration activists then promote out-of-context videos and lob vile accusations at federal agents.