Things got heated on Sunday morning’s “Face the Nation” as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise defended federal agents working in Minneapolis while facing tough questions from host Margaret Brennan about recent violence and controversial tactics.
The interview came just a day after new unrest in Minneapolis, prompting a sharp back-and-forth over who is really to blame for the city’s instability.
Scalise, joining the show from New Orleans, wasted no time pointing the finger at local officials in Minnesota. While acknowledging that the recent shooting and chaos in Minneapolis were tragic, he argued that these problems don’t happen in other cities where federal immigration agents operate.
READ: “Victim” Or “Suspect”? Border Patrol Chief And CNN Host Clash Over Deadly Minnesota Shooting
“I don’t question the credibility of ICE. They’re doing an incredibly hard job. They’re- look, we all just feel sorry about what happened in Minneapolis. And this has happened over and over again. I mean, I’m not just talking about ICE,” said Scalise. “I mean, they’ve got some failed local leadership. They let their city burn down years ago. They have chaos, it seems like all the time in places where other cities don’t. ICE is operating in a lot of cities, Margaret, and you don’t have these kind of incidents in any other city but Minneapolis.”
Brennan pushed back hard on that narrative. She cited specific data from the Minnesota database showing that shooting victims, homicides, and burglaries are all significantly down this year. She suggested that local police aren’t refusing to help because of politics, but because they are already overwhelmed dealing with the surge of federal agents—nearly 3,000 of them—currently in the city.
Scalise countered that the drop in crime is actually happening because federal agents have arrested thousands of violent criminals, claiming President Trump’s policies are working to get dangerous people off the streets.
“Remember, these agents have also arrested thousands of violent criminals in Minneapolis. That’s one of the reasons that crime is down, and we’re seeing that across the country,” Scalise said.
The conversation took a darker turn when Brennan brought up specific, controversial incidents involving ICE. She asked about Renee Good, an unarmed woman shot by agents, and the detention of a five-year-old boy named Liam Ramos.
Brennan questioned whether these actions really fit the mandate of targeting the “worst of the worst.”
Scalise defended the agents, stating the child’s father was in the country illegally and had abandoned him to evade the law. He urged viewers to look at the “worst of the worst” DHS website to see the records of murderers and rapists being caught, arguing that the public overwhelmingly supports removing violent criminals regardless of what recent polls might say. RELATED: VP Vance Blasts Narrative That ICE ‘Arrested’ Minnesota 5-Year-Old, Says Father Fled Scene
They also sparred over a letter sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The letter reportedly offered to end the federal surge in the state if officials handed over access to food assistance programs and voter registration logs.
Brennan asked why immigration enforcement was being tied to voter rolls. Scalise admitted he hadn’t read the specific letter but pivoted to claims of massive fraud in Minnesota’s taxpayer-funded programs, insisting that Congress is looking into theft from education and disability services.
READ: Minnesota Shooting Sparks Sudden Shutdown Fears As Democrats Draw A Line In The Sand
By the end of the interview, both sides seemed to agree on only one thing: the temperature needs to be lowered.
Scalise called for toning down the rhetoric, accusing Minnesota’s leaders of inciting anger by calling agents “Gestapo.”
However, he stood firm that federal law must be enforced, telling Brennan that while he wishes the violence hadn’t happened, blocking law enforcement is a felony and agents are there to do a job.
“Minneapolis has its own problems,” said Scalise. “Failed leadership that has led to a lot of this, and it’s unfortunate it happened. I wish it didn’t happen. Their failed leaders need to look in the mirror and tone it down.”
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