By: JP Plott
Last week, there was an incident involving an ICE officer and a protester in Minneapolis. This came at a time when the presence of ICE in Minnesota was rising drastically in response to the unprecedented fraud uncovered involving Somalians in the state.
The protester drove her car directly towards an ICE agent and was shot and killed. Besides the fact that ICE cannot conduct its lawful business without the threat of being attacked, the response to this incident from Democratic leaders nationwide was beyond troubling. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the ICE officer and said, “When ICE attacks immigrants, they attack every single one of us across this nation,” while also vowing to keep New York City a sanctuary city. The mayors of both Minneapolis and Philadelphia told ICE to “get the f out” of their respective cities, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey deciding to be more vulgar in his statement. Perhaps the most troubling, and yet predictable, response came from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz effectively decided to declare war against the federal government, calling on citizens nationwide to rise and support their fight against federal agents. That is a declaration of war.
There’s been a rising tension in America over the last several years, which has caused many to be fearful of an imminent civil war. I am an optimist and have refused to let my mind wander down the path of doom and gloom when it comes to my fellow Americans. However, I can’t help but become extremely concerned when I see governors like Tim Walz and mayors like Zohran Mamdani ever so bravely defy the federal government. What they’re effectively saying is: “We will not follow federal law, and we will empower our citizens to attack federal agents if you send any here to enforce the law.” All that’s missing there is: “We are hereby seceding from the union.” The Constitution clearly states in the supremacy clause that the federal law is the law of the land. States have their own rights, obviously, but you can’t just decide to deliberately disobey federal law if you’re going to remain a part of the United States. We’ve already fought a civil war over that exact issue, and I would prefer we don’t fight another.
However, even in 1861, we had more in common as a nation than we do now. At the start of the Civil War, we were still a Christian nation with the same traditional worldviews as one another. The men who fought each other had a mutual respect for each other. Ulysses S. Grant once called Stonewall Jackson a “gallant soldier and a Christian gentleman.” General James Longstreet was actually at General Grant’s wedding before the war started, and accepted a position under Grant’s presidency after the war. Now, if you’re a Democrat and don’t publicly call President Trump a Nazi at least once a week, you’re a traitor.
If you travel the nation from progressive cities to conservative towns, it’s almost like you’re in two different countries. There’s almost nothing in common between the residents of Portland, Oregon, and the residents of Athens, Alabama. That’s where a civil war starts to bubble, when you no longer see your fellow American as an ally and instead as an enemy. When governors choose to stoke these flames rather than recognize the supremacy of the federal government, they must be quashed.
President Trump has a responsibility right now. A responsibility to put down this insurrection with the full force of the federal government. Protesters will not impede ICE from doing deportations, and anyone who tries to do so will be dealt with accordingly. Trump must send in however many officers are required to be sent into Minnesota to accomplish this. If the federal government waivers one bit in their response to defiant state and city leaders, they will see that as a win. Those who are here illegally will be deported swiftly, especially if they have been caught stealing billions from the American taxpayers.
What Tim Walz is doing is irresponsible, reckless, and downright disgusting! President Trump and the federal government have supremacy over you, and you will obey as well as call on your citizens to obey the law. This is a pivotal moment for President Trump and his presidency. Rogue and defiant leaders cannot be allowed to obstruct any longer, and perhaps we can avoid another civil war in the process.
By: JP Plott, Co-host of Rightside Radio
