Minneapolis turned into a war zone when Trump sent ICE to clean up the mess Biden left behind.
Teachers abandoned their classrooms to chase federal agents through the streets.
Now the head of the Minneapolis teachers union just went on camera and admitted something that has Democrats scrambling – elected officials are coordinating the whole operation.
Sanctuary City Officials Use Tax Dollars to Obstruct Federal Immigration Enforcement
Marcia Howard runs the Minneapolis Federation of Educators.
She sat down with Al Jazeera and said the quiet part out loud.
"Our bosses are in the Signal chats with us," Howard told the reporter without hesitation.
She wasn't talking about school principals.
"Our elected officials are in the chats with us."
These aren't casual neighborhood watch groups Howard's describing – they're military-style operations targeting federal law enforcement.
The Signal groups coordinate vehicle patrols that hunt ICE agents across Minneapolis neighborhoods.
Members run license plates against databases to identify federal vehicles.
They dispatch "mobile units" to swarm locations where agents are conducting immigration enforcement.
Howard bragged that "nanas, hockey coaches and soccer moms" are part of the network tracking ICE movements.
She claims teachers stand outside schools with "whistles and phones" to protect students.
From criminals who murdered someone, raped children, or committed violent felonies – that's who ICE is actually arresting in Minneapolis.
But Howard frames federal agents as the enemy, comparing them to "slave catchers" and the Ku Klux Klan.
Portland and Seattle Sanctuary Cities Set Pattern for Minneapolis ICE Obstruction
This isn't Minneapolis inventing something new.
Portland and Seattle pioneered sanctuary city obstruction tactics during Trump's first term.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson doubled down on blocking ICE cooperation even after protesters brought a guillotine to demonstrations outside the local detention facility in 2025.
Seattle joined lawsuits against the Justice Department rather than help remove violent criminals from their streets.
The difference now is Democrats aren't hiding it anymore.
Howard admits government officials participate directly in coordinated ICE obstruction.
This is taxpayer-funded sabotage of law enforcement operations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi already designated Minneapolis as a sanctuary jurisdiction under Trump's executive order targeting cities that obstruct immigration enforcement.
The Justice Department published Minnesota on the official list of states impeding federal immigration law.
Trump sent thousands of ICE agents to Minneapolis in January 2026 as part of Operation Metro Surge – the largest immigration enforcement operation in history.
Democrat Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey immediately mobilized resistance instead of cooperation.
Two Americans died in Minneapolis during ICE operations – Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Democrats blamed federal agents and encouraged more protests.
Trump blamed Democrats for creating the conditions that led to those deaths by encouraging obstruction.
Teachers Union Admits Goal Is Blocking Trump's Immigration Crackdown
Howard complained that ICE agents stayed in hotel rooms "where they did not detain the workers in those hotel rooms because they wanted to be served by immigrants."
She's upset that federal agents didn't arrest hotel staff during their stay.
Think about what she's saying – she wants ICE to arrest fewer people, but she's angry they didn't arrest hospitality workers.
The logic doesn't hold up because the goal isn't protecting anyone.
The goal is stopping Trump from enforcing immigration law, period.
Howard admitted teachers participate in efforts to "subvert federal law enforcement" by using school patrol activities as cover.
She frames it as protecting students going to class.
ICE isn't arresting children walking to school – they're arresting adults with criminal convictions and deportation orders.
DHS data shows the Minneapolis operation targeted gang members, violent offenders, and national security threats.
MS-13 members, convicted rapists, and people ordered removed by immigration judges years ago.
Those are the "neighbors" Howard's Signal chats are "protecting."
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators didn't respond to requests for comment from Fox News.
They know exactly what Howard said on camera.
They know she just admitted elected officials coordinate obstruction of federal law enforcement.
And they're hoping you forget about it by next week.
Sources:
- Peter D'Abrosca, "Minneapolis teachers union chief admits elected officials in anti-ICE Signal chats," Fox News, February 2, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Justice, "Justice Department Publishes List of Sanctuary Jurisdictions," August 5, 2025.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Making America Safe: DHS Highlights National Security Threats Arrested During First Year of Trump Administration," January 26, 2026.