VP JD Vance says Minnesota officials need to “lower the temperature and lower the chaos” during visit

Vice President JD Vance at a press conference in Minneapolis pushed for state and local elected officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to “lower the temperature and lower the chaos.” 

“The number one thing that I learned today is that the best way to facilitate reasonable enforcement of the law, but also lower the chaos in Minneapolis would be for state and local officials to cooperate,” Vance said after meeting with business leaders, ICE officials and local law enforcement. 

He advocated for local police officers to come to the aid of ICE agents when they’re surrounded by protesters. 

“When a crowd surrounds them, and [federal agents] call 911, the local officials, the local cops have been told to stand down,” he said. 

He also said he’d like federal authorities to be able to look at court documents and SNAP paperwork in order to figure out the last known address of a migrant they’re trying to arrest. But he claimed local authorities have been told not to provide that information.

In other blue cities like Austin, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee, Vance said immigration enforcement has gone smoothly.

“The reason it hasn’t happened here, is because the local authorities have been told, stand down, do not help ICE, promote the violence, promote the agitation, but don’t do anything to lower the temperature and lower the chaos. That’s a problem,” he said.

He said he was hopeful that there will be more collaboration in the future.

When asked by a reporter what the role of the federal government’s role is to turn down the temperature, Vance said that President Trump told him to “meet this guys halfway, work with them, so that we can make these immigration enforcement operations successful without endangering our ICE officers.”