Far Left Threatens Shutdown Over Minnesota Tragedy
I know I’ve commented on how Minneapolis feels like it’s sitting under a heavy, dark cloud. The stories change, the details shift, but the tension never seems to lift. But yesterday, that cloud grew darker – and more tragic – with the awful death of an American citizen during an ICE incident.
Horrific enough on its own, but now multiple far-Left Members of Congress are trying to exploit this tragedy in Minnesota as leverage for a government shutdown to effect change with ICE. The radical Left seems to be more focused on its battles with DHS and ICE than on supporting national security for American families.
Let’s make this abundantly clear right up front: A loss of life is always a tragedy. Full stop.
We do not yet know all the facts, and pretending otherwise helps no one. There is an active investigation underway, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is managing the situation as it unfolds. Any honest conversation must begin with humility, because despite whatever narrative the media tries to ram down your throat, the truth is we don’t have the full picture yet. Of course, that didn’t stop the rabid political vitriol from immediately rushing in.
Within hours, some on the Right insisted this is simply what happens when law enforcement is obstructed. Some on the Left immediately declared ICE a “rogue force.” And before the facts could even breathe, far-Left leaders began floating something we’ve heard far too often lately: another government shutdown.
House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) said Congress can’t keep authorizing money for “illegal killers.” Senator Chris Murphy (CT) argued the far Left should refuse to vote for a DHS budget that doesn’t restrain ICE. Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-4) pointed directly to the January 31 funding deadline as “our opportunity.” Once again, a top far Left is calling the suffering of American families an opportunity. Let that sink in.
This isn’t just about Minnesota anymore. It’s about how tragedy is repeatedly used as leverage in Washington. Instead of moments of reflection, investigation, and conversation, we get moments of political acceleration. Instead of asking hard questions about policy, law enforcement authority, and use of force, we jump straight to ultimatums that threaten millions of Americans who have nothing to do with what happened.
Federal workers remember this all too well. Shutdowns don’t punish politicians – they punish families. Missed paychecks. Delayed benefits. Disrupted services. Real pain, inflicted deliberately, in the name of political messaging. And people still think they have Americans’ best interests at heart?
And all of this happens while we still don’t know what really occurred on that street in Minnesota.
Was the ICE agent acting in self-defense? Where exactly was he positioned? Was the vehicle being used as a weapon, or was the driver attempting to flee? Where does lethal force cross the line? These are serious questions – legal, moral, and human – and they deserve real answers, not social media verdicts.
At the same time, blanket rhetoric helps no one. Calling every ICE agent a Nazi, the Gestapo, or an “illegal killer” doesn’t advance justice. It dehumanizes people who are also human beings – Americans who go home to families and who are now being told they are legitimate targets of rage. History tells us that language like this has consequences.
But this isn’t just a Left problem. On the Right, there’s also a rush to certainty – a dangerous reflex to declare everything justified based on a few seconds of video, just because of anger at the other side. That’s what more radical members of the Left do. That’s not serious, and it’s certainly not responsible. Wanting an investigation does not mean betraying law enforcement. Acknowledging the loss of life does not mean abandoning border enforcement. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
This moment should force a broader reflection. We got here because immigration became a political weapon long before it became a policy discussion. The Biden Administration denied a border crisis that Americans could plainly see. The far Left escalated rhetoric, labeling enforcement as fascism. Conservatives responded with aggressive enforcement and equally heated messaging. The temperature kept rising. And eventually, something broke.
That doesn’t excuse what happened, but at least it might help explain why moments like this were almost inevitable. And now, instead of lowering the temperature, D.C. wants to turn the dial even higher. Threatening a shutdown in the immediate aftermath of a death doesn’t bring clarity. It doesn’t bring healing. It doesn’t bring reform. It brings chaos – and it signals once again that in Washington, the next vote often matters more than the next human life.
We can – and must – do better. There is room for accountability and law enforcement. There is room for border security and human dignity. There is room for grief, investigation, and reform without holding the entire country hostage. But all that requires something Washington struggles with – restraint.
Until then, tragedies will most likely continue to be turned into talking points, Americans will continue to be caught in the middle, and the question won’t be who was Right or Left, but why we never seem to learn.
Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more discussion of the tragic events in Minnesota and the dangerous rhetoric that almost immediately began being tossed around by the Left.
Watch the full broadcast below:
