Vance Says Minnesota Law Enforcement Needs to Cooperate More With Federal Authorities

The vice president held a roundtable discussion after weeks of clashes between federal agents and protesters who oppose deportations of illegal immigrants.

Vice President JD Vance gives remarks while standing in front of ICE agents following a roundtable discussion with local leaders and community members amid a surge of federal immigration authorities in the area, at Royalston Square in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 22, 2026. Jim Watson - Pool/Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS—Vice President JD Vance said that local authorities in Minneapolis need to cooperate better with federal officials in the city that has been hit hard by anti-ICE protests in recent weeks.

In remarks to reporters on Jan. 22 after meeting with federal immigration officers, Vance said the purpose of his visit was to “turn down the temperature” in the city.

The event was held at Royalston Square, a former industrial building that is being repurposed into an entertainment-and-event center, in the city’s North Loop neighborhood.

It is about six miles away from the site where a federal agent fatally shot driver Renee Good on Jan. 7, after she drove her vehicle toward the officer. Officials assert that the officer acted in self-defense and suffered injuries after being struck by Good’s vehicle. The shooting sparked intensified protests against federal agents who are acting under U.S. laws authorizing arrests of illegal immigrants.