Who won the showdown over ICE in Minneapolis?
If the Trump administration's goal was to prod the left into ditching moderation and let its inner radical roam free, then looking at this past few months - Abby Spanberger, the rise of the Bernie Sanders/AOC wing of the Democrats, their allegiance to illegal imigraiton and "sanctuary" cities, Mayor Mamdani - to terrify mainstream voters about Democrat rule, then maybe there's some genius at play. We'll know in eight and a half months.
The short-term PR war?
It's hard to say. But it seems pretty clear Minnesota Democrats - DFL in local parlance - think they've got some victory spoils to work with.
First: the Minneapolis City Council is looking into revoking liquor licenses of hotels in the city that rented rooms to ICE:
Should Minneapolis deny liquor licenses to hotels that housed ICE agents? City Council debates it. https://t.co/3X5fNUBMzZ
— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) February 18, 2026
The two hotels in question - the Depot and the Canopy, in downtown Minneapolis - were the site of large, raucous nighttime protests after rumors circulated that ICE was staying there. And the demonstrations aren't over:
Hospitality union members spoke to the council about the license renewals, explaining that some employees from the hotels have expressed fear over ICE agents staying there.
"We believe that a liquor license is a privilege and that privilege should be reserved for businesses who keep the public safety in mind," said Wade Luneberg, who is part of the union, Unite Here Local 17.
Though another union member told the council there is "misinformation" that has caused anxiety. Joan Soholt said she's worked as a hotel banquet server for 23 years.
The message the DFL - and actually Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) - majority is sending isn't just to the hotels either. It's for everyone who crosses the left's narrative:
WATCH: Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley says delaying reapproval of liquor licenses for hotels housing ICE can be a "playbook" for other cities pic.twitter.com/J7NjUik7eJ
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) February 17, 2026
This is going to make a bunch of lawyers very wealthy, and - if the revocations go through - a lot of "hospitality union" employees very poor; the hotels in question cater to convention-goers and people in town for concerts and sporting events; if the two hotels leave, it'll just give Minneapolis a couple more empty buildings downtown.
So message #1 is "don't cross the narrative".
And message #2 apparently is "don't cross the bearers of the narrative". One of the Minneapolis "non-profits" that helped organize the anti-ICE protests is now trying to organize to make convicting fraudsters, not-so-peaceful protesters, and, well, pretty much anyone they choose, impossible:
BREAKING: "A Minneapolis-based activist network is now openly advertising “jury nullification training,” raising new concerns about the integrity of jury trials in the Twin Cities."
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 17, 2026
Left wing activists want the fraudsters and anti-ICE attackers to get away with their… pic.twitter.com/8UkVLGVRST
Jury nullification occurs when jurors vote to acquit a defendant despite believing the law was broken, often because they oppose the law itself or how it is enforced.
And while the extremes on the left and right have both appealed to jury nullification to essentially legalize their criminals, this may be the most organized effort I can personally recall:
Defend612, which seeks to support “resistance to the ICE occupation in Minneapolis,” is promoting two virtual sessions titled “The People’s Pardon or Jury Nullification,” scheduled in the coming weeks.
One event description frames the effort: “Because when systems fail to deliver justice, the people must.”...Defend612’s training comes as the federal government seeks to prosecute several anti-ICE activists who disrupted a St. Paul church service last month as well as hundreds of others who are reportedly facing charges in connection to anti-ICE activity.
The lessons are clear; if you're on the extreme left, if you don't like the justice system, build your own.
