E-Paper
ICE hits back at bystanders in St Paul-Minneapolis; ‘insane who you are protecting’ - Video
Footage by a freelance journalist shows an ICE agent rebuking a honking crowd and bystanders while trying to detain an alleged child sex offender in St. Paul.
A video shows a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent sharply addressing bystanders during a federal operation in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The footage posted by Oliya Scootercaster, founder of Freedom News TV, shows the agent confronting people who were honking and allegedly impeding the operation to arrest an alleged child sex offender.
Read more: Jake Lang GiveSendGo: Influencer in hospital after Minnesota protest ‘stabbing’
“We're here to arrest a child s*x offender”
The exchange took place on January 18, 2026, in a residential stretch of St. Paul as ICE agents attempted to detain a man who, they alleged, was a child sex offender.
In the video, the ICE agent is driving a car and then stops in front of the camera while saying, “Oh, you guys are recording!”
He then proceeds to chide the recorder about activists honking to alert people about their presence, saying, “We're here to arrest a child sex offender, and you guys are out here honking.”
The video recorder then replies, “Oh, no, we're press.”
The ICE agent then adds, “That's who you guys are protecting. Insane.”
The same car is then seen stopping in front of another car, having a heated exchange with the driver of the other car. The agent’s comments appear to be directed at a driver who repeatedly honked while sitting near where officers were conducting the arrest.
Read more: Was Jake Lang stabbed during Minneapolis protest? Here's what he said
Social media outrage
As protests rage on the streets of Minnesota, critics of ICE on social media are reacting to the video, criticising the actions of the ICE agents over the past few weeks.
A comment from @purpose_trixx under the video says, “Sure, ICE says they were targeting a child sex offender, but this comes amid massive controversy after an ICE agent fatally shot a Minneapolis woman and sparked protests. Public distrust is real.”
M.A. Rothman, a US-born Israeli author, defends ICE amid criticism of ICE agents writes, “𝗟𝗘𝗙𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗜𝗣 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗦𝗫 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥. Let’s just get this straight: if your “activism” involves 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗛𝗹𝗟𝗗 𝗦𝗫 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲, you are not the good guy in the movie.”
Many X comments are also seen supporting ICE and praising the ICE agent for communicating well. @tolawestrn wrote, “That’s a good ICE agent right there. Simple communication changes everything. You don’t have to tear gas and cause chaos just because you’re ICE.”
