Minneapolis became ground zero for Trump's immigration crackdown.
Federal agents have been met with violent protests and sanctuary city obstruction.
And now a Fox News contributor just made one call about Minneapolis that has Trump considering his options.
Tomi Lahren floats radical solution to Minneapolis chaos
Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren went back and forth on The Big Weekend Show about what Trump should do with Minneapolis after the city's second fatal ICE shooting in three weeks sparked more riots.
"I've gone back and forth today thinking, you know what, maybe President Trump should just leave Minneapolis to its own devices," Lahren said. "Maybe it should just leave Minnesota, let them be overrun with illegals and fraudsters."
Minneapolis has erupted in chaos since Trump launched Operation Metro Surge on January 6, sending 2,000 federal agents into the Twin Cities.
On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renée Good after she accelerated her car toward him.
Then on January 24, Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who put himself in a no-win situation.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz have been begging Trump to pull ICE out of Minneapolis.
"ICE — Get the f*** out of Minneapolis," Frey said after Good's death. "We do not want you here."
Walz called the agents an "absolute abomination" after Pretti's death.
Minneapolis becomes test case for sanctuary city showdown
Minneapolis is the third ICE shooting in three weeks — the ninth since September 2025 across five states.
Lahren compared Minneapolis officials blocking federal immigration enforcement to Nashville refusing to pay taxes to the IRS.
"What if we just decided, you know what, we don't want to pay taxes anymore," Lahren explained. "And you know, just to make sure we don't pay taxes anymore, we're going to send all our foot soldiers out on the street and we're going to burn things and we're going to throw things and we're going to riot and we're going to assault officers."
She asked if the IRS would leave Nashville alone under those circumstances.
"My guess is no," Lahren stated. "How ridiculous it is that because they can't control their constituents who behave this way, that they think that federal law should no longer be enforced because of that is so asinine to me and so idiotic."
The conflict playing out in Minneapolis mirrors sanctuary city battles from Trump's first term.
In 2017, courts blocked Trump's attempts to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco and Chicago.
But Trump's second administration is taking a more aggressive approach.
In February 2025, the Department of Justice sued Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County over sanctuary policies, claiming they "discriminate" against federal enforcement.
A thus far largely lackluster Attorney General Pam Bondi has warned sanctuary cities they'll lose federal funding and face prosecution for obstructing immigration enforcement.
Conservative commentator says Trump needs to restore order
Lahren ultimately came down on the side of federal enforcement despite the violent backlash.
"The other part of me is like, no, you need to make sure we have order and restore order in this country," Lahren stated. "This is not 2020 and we need to reset that precedent."
She suggested Trump should consider invoking the Insurrection Act if violence escalates.
The Insurrection Act would allow Trump to deploy active-duty military to restore order in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara canceled all days off for officers and recalled everyone to duty after Pretti's shooting.
Federal officials defend the shootings as self-defense while local prosecutors call them "reckless."
The battle over Minneapolis represents the biggest test yet of Trump's immigration enforcement agenda against sanctuary city resistance.
Trump has Tom Homan managing ICE operations in Minnesota while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly backs the agents.
"Thank God for the patriots of @ICEgov — we have your back 100%," Hegseth posted after Pretti's shooting. "You are SAVING the country."
But Lahren's suggestion that Trump simply abandon Minneapolis shows even some Trump supporters recognize the operation has become a political nightmare.
The question now is whether Trump doubles down with military force or whether Homan can get ahold of the situation.
Sources:
- CBS News, "2 federal hearings Monday after Border Patrol kills Alex Pretti; Trump sending Tom Homan to Minnesota," January 26, 2026.
- CBS News, "Minneapolis becomes ground zero in Trump's immigration crackdown: Arrests, protests and 2 fatal shootings by agents," January 25, 2026.
- RealClearPolitics, "Tomi Lahren: Maybe Trump Should Withdraw ICE From Minneapolis, Leave Them To Their Own Devices," January 24, 2026.
- Wikipedia, "Killing of Renée Good," January 2026.
- Wikipedia, "January 24, 2026, ICE shooting in Minneapolis," January 2026.
