Three illegal aliens reportedly beat an ICE agent with shovels and broomsticks in Minneapolis.
Democrats rushed to defend the attackers instead of the victim.
And a CNN anchor gave this Minnesota Democrat a chance to walk back his ICE comments and he made them ten times worse.
State Senator calls violent ambush "helping our neighbors"
State Senator Bobby Joe Champion went on CNN and defended last Wednesday night's brutal attack on a federal officer.
Three Venezuelan illegal aliens ambushed an ICE agent with snow shovels and broom handles during an arrest operation in north Minneapolis.
Champion called it Minnesota hospitality.
"This is just an example of Minnesota being a place where we help our neighbors," Champion told CNN's Boris Sanchez.
The CNN anchor couldn't believe what he just heard.
Sanchez gave Champion a lifeline, asking if weapons changed his opinion about the violent assault.
Champion looked directly into the camera and doubled down.
"Actually, no," he said without hesitation.
The ICE agent was chasing Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022, when two other illegal aliens burst from a nearby apartment and joined the ambush.
Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer suffered serious injuries from the beating.
"Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms," Noem explained. "Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot."
The agent shot Sosa-Celis in the leg before all three attackers barricaded themselves inside an apartment, forcing a tactical team to breach the residence.
Champion sits third in line to become Governor of Minnesota.
White House connects rhetoric to violence Democrats won't acknowledge
The statistics tell the story Democrats refuse to admit.
Attacks on ICE officers exploded by 1,300% since Trump took office.
Vehicular attacks surged 3,200% during the same period.
Death threats against agents increased 8,000%.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrat politicians for creating the conditions that led to Wednesday's ambush.
"Elected officials who are using their platforms to encourage violence against federal law enforcement officers, who are encouraging left-wing agitators to unlawfully obstruct legitimate law enforcement operations," Leavitt said during Thursday's briefing.
She pointed to Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as prime examples.
Walz gave a primetime address urging Minnesotans to record ICE operations and "create a database of the atrocities" for future prosecutions.
The Wednesday night attack happened 10 minutes before Walz went on TV to encourage citizens to confront ICE operations.
Frey told ICE to "get the f— out of Minneapolis" at a profanity-laced press conference after the Renee Good shooting.
The White House compiled a list of 57 times Democrat politicians declared war on ICE, comparing agents to Nazis, the Gestapo, and secret police.
Representative Ilhan Omar called ICE "state violence" and said "abolishing ICE is not enough."
Senator Chuck Schumer declared ICE "does not belong in our neighborhoods."
Representative Pramila Jayapal warned ICE officers will "shoot at you and kill you" while calling them "deranged" kidnappers.
Champion's CNN appearance proved Democrats mean every word.
Trump threatens military deployment as Democrats encourage chaos
Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota officials don't stop "professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE."
The rarely-used federal law would allow Trump to deploy U.S. military forces to Minneapolis.
"Mayor Frey and Governor Walz have to get their city under control," Noem said. "They are encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony."
Champion's comments came exactly one week after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who witnesses say tried to flee during an immigration operation in south Minneapolis.
That shooting sparked violent protests with hundreds attacking federal agents with fireworks and projectiles.
Law enforcement deployed tear gas and flash bangs to disperse crowds that grew increasingly aggressive.
The Wednesday night attack followed the pattern Walz encouraged — citizens confronting ICE operations but escalating to weapons and violence.
Champion represents Minneapolis in the State Senate and announced plans to introduce legislation stripping qualified immunity protections from ICE agents.
His CNN appearance wasn't a mistake or misstatement.
He had a chance to clarify, to walk it back, to say weapons crossed a line.
Champion chose to double down and defend beating federal officers with makeshift weapons as Minnesota values.
That tells you everything about where Democrats stand when their rhetoric meets reality.
Sources:
- Ali Bradley, Twitter post, January 15, 2026.
- CBS News, "ICE officer shoots man in leg in north Minneapolis," January 15, 2026.
- Christian Post, "Karoline Leavitt blames Democrat officials for inflaming violence," January 15, 2026.
- Department of Homeland Security, "DHS Releases New Details in Minneapolis ICE Ambush," January 15, 2026.
- Fox News, "White House blames Democrats for ICE violence," January 15, 2026.
- Rapid Response 47, Twitter post, January 15, 2026.
- The White House, "57 Times Sick, Unhinged Democrats Declared War on Law Enforcement," January 8, 2026.
- Twitchy, "Minnesota State Sen. Says Attacking ICE Agents With a Shovel Is Just 'Helping Our Neighbors'," January 15, 2026.
