Tim Walz and Jacob Frey turned Minneapolis into a sanctuary city – and a convicted murderer from Laos walked free because of it.
Now, after Operation Metro Surge pulled 4,000 criminal illegal aliens off Minnesota streets, Vice President J.D. Vance sat down with Fox News and laid out exactly what's driving Democratic resistance.
What he said about their real motive should make every American furious.
Vance: Democrats Would Rather Risk Police Lives Than Deport Anyone
Vance didn't mince words with Martha MacCallum on Monday.
"Some elected Democrats are so committed to the idea that you shouldn't be able to deport anybody," Vance said, "that they're willing to put at risk the lives of local police, the lives of federal law enforcement."
Not that they want to protect the innocent. Not that they have concerns about due process.
They don't want to deport anybody – and they're willing to get cops killed to prove it.
Vance pointed to the proof: cities that cooperate with ICE, whether blue like Memphis or red like small towns in Ohio, run clean operations with no chaos.
Minneapolis chose chaos.
Walz and Frey Released 470 Criminals Rather Than Honor ICE Detainers
While ICE agents were risking their lives going door to door, Walz and Frey were releasing criminals out the back door of county jails.
DHS confirmed it: since Trump took office, Minnesota sanctuary politicians released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto their own streets – including the drunk driver who killed Minnesota mom Victoria Eileen Harwell.
German Llangari Inga, an illegal alien from Ecuador, crossed a double yellow line and plowed head-on into Harwell's SUV in August 2024 with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.
ICE put a detainer on him immediately.
Hennepin County released him anyway – twice.
DHS is still sitting on active detainers for more than 1,360 violent criminals that Minnesota refuses to hand over.
Sanctuary Cities Have Run This Same Playbook for 30 Years
This isn't new. Democrats have blocked immigration enforcement since the 1980s, when cities first declared themselves sanctuaries to defy federal deportation orders.
When Trump tried to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities in his first term, Democratic attorneys general sued to stop him – and 20 of them did it again the moment he issued the same order in 2025.
Every time Trump moves to remove criminals, Democrats go to court to stop it.
That's not a coincidence. That's a strategy.
What ICE Found in Minneapolis During Operation Metro Surge
DHS named them publicly.
Yang Koua Moua – convicted of homicide and robbery, an "Oriental Lo" gang member with a removal order ignored since 2013.
Vong Som – convicted of terroristic threats, sexual assault, and weapons possession.
A criminal from the Marshall Islands with 24 separate convictions.
These are the people Walz and Frey chose to protect over their own constituents.
Vance made the point directly: where state, local, and federal officials cooperate, ICE removes violent criminals quietly and efficiently.
Where Democrats declare war on federal agents, those criminals stay on the streets – and good cops get hurt.
Walz and Frey made their choice. The 4,000 arrests are the price their constituents paid for it.
Sources:
- Ian Schwartz, "Vance: Democrats So Committed To The Idea That You Shouldn't Be Able To Deport Anybody," RealClearPolitics, February 17, 2026.
- Tricia McLaughlin, "DHS Calls on Governor Walz and Mayor Frey to Honor ICE Arrest Detainers," Department of Homeland Security, January 19, 2026.
- Karoline Leavitt, "New Milestone in Operation Metro Surge: 4,000+ Criminal Illegals Removed," The White House, February 4, 2026.
- "Mayor Frey's Sanctuary Policies Release Criminal Illegal Aliens From Jails," Department of Homeland Security, January 14, 2026.
- "ICE Continues to Remove the Worst of the Worst from Minneapolis Streets," Department of Homeland Security, January 19, 2026.
- "DHS Reaches More Than 4,000 Arrests in Minnesota Since Operation Metro Surge Began," Department of Homeland Security, February 4, 2026.
- Fox News, "DHS Tells Walz, Frey to Honor ICE Detainers After Nearly 470 Criminal Aliens Released," January 13, 2026.