Vice-president urged protesters to take grievances to ballot box instead of hindering immigration enforcement efforts
JD Vance on Thursday urged protesters to take their grievances to the ballot box rather than confront federal agents in the streets, dismissing protesters in Minneapolis who have physically blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles and thrown objects at agents as engaging in “cowardly bullshit”.
During an appearance at a factory in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday morning, the US vice-president said he planned to travel to Minneapolis later in the day to meet with ICE personnel and local officials, promising a simple message about reducing tensions in the city.
“If you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement – we have to have a border in this country. It’s not that hard,” Vance said, putting the blame on local resistance to federal immigration operations as the source of conflict rather than the aggressive tactics deployed by agents.
Vance drew comparisons between Minneapolis and other Democratic-led cities where local authorities have chosen to work alongside federal immigration enforcement. He pointed to Memphis and Austin as examples of blue cities without the unrest currently gripping Minneapolis, arguing the difference stems from cooperation between local police and ICE.
