One of the more surprising reactions to the Minneapolis chaos came not from a cable news panelist or a blue-state mayor, but from a top House Republican. Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, went on “Sunday Morning Futures” and openly suggested that President Trump should consider pulling ICE out of Minnesota altogether after Saturday’s deadly confrontation involving Alex Pretti.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo, Comer argued that ICE agents are being placed in unnecessary danger by hostile state and local leadership. His logic was simple, if Minnesota’s governor and mayor are going to obstruct federal law enforcement and whip up public hostility, then ICE officers are left exposed and more “innocent lives” could be lost. His proposed solution was essentially to walk away and let Minneapolis voters live with the consequences of their choices.
“If I were President Trump,” Comer said, “I would almost think about, OK, if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way … then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide.” That statement landed like a grenade with the MAGA base, which immediately accused Comer of surrendering territory to leftist agitators.
Kentucky Rep. James Comer says Trump should back down from Minneapolis and let the city break the law because they don’t want to comply with Trump.
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— AF Post (@AFpost) January 25, 2026
The backlash was swift and brutal. Many conservatives heard Comer’s comments not as concern for agent safety, but as retreat. To them, leaving Minneapolis would reward obstruction, validate riots, and signal that enough street chaos can chase federal law enforcement out of town. That is not exactly the message voters sent when they elected President Trump.
The facts of the incident only added fuel to the fire. ICE agents were involved in a shooting Saturday afternoon in South Minneapolis near 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue, outside Glam Doll Donuts. The suspect was later identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse. Video shows agents struggling to subdue him as he resisted arrest, with gunshots erupting moments later. Authorities say Pretti was armed, and the situation escalated rapidly.
As expected, the shooting was followed by riots, protests, and the usual accusations that federal agents are the problem rather than the criminals and agitators creating the danger. Comer’s suggestion to pull out struck many conservatives as backwards, punishing law enforcement while rewarding local officials who refuse to cooperate.
President Trump has been clear that immigration laws will be enforced, especially against criminal aliens, regardless of how loudly sanctuary politicians complain. Pulling ICE out of Minneapolis would not make the city safer, it would make it a case study in what happens when ideology replaces law enforcement. Comer may believe retreat saves lives, but many voters see enforcement, not withdrawal, as the only path back to order.
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