Minnesota Democrats aren’t even pretending anymore: they’re openly hostile to immigration enforcement and want ICE agents driven out of the state. That reckless posture—echoed loudly by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz—has now landed them under federal investigation.
Their grandstanding may excite the activist left, but it doesn’t nullify federal law. No amount of ranting, posturing, or virtue-signaling will stop ICE from doing its job. The Constitution—not progressive politics—still runs the country.
That said, the left is predictably melting down over a recent routine immigration enforcement action in Minnesota.
According to the Star Tribune, four Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ate at El Tapatio on the afternoon of January 15—nothing unusual, nothing secretive.
Later that evening, after the restaurant had closed, agents returned and lawfully detained three workers. That’s it. No raid. No chaos. Just federal law being enforced—an act that somehow sends the activist left into hysterics every single time.
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The agents were assailed by a “handful of bystanders” who “blew whistles and shouted at agents as they detained the people.”
“Would your mama be proud of you right now?” one of these protesters asked.
Why wouldn’t she be? These agents were doing what they took a sworn oath to do: Enforce immigration laws. Maybe the smart mouth protester’s mother wouldn’t be so proud of him trying to impede enforcement and belittle agents, truth be told.
Some on the left are outraged that the agents had the audacity to eat lunch there earlier in the day—and then return later. The right, meanwhile, recognized it for what it was: clever, effective law enforcement.
One left-wing critic claimed he had “no words,” then immediately proved that was a lie by spewing plenty of them anyway.
There are no words. ICE agents ate lunch at a small local Mexican restaurant in Minnesota, enjoyed their meal, then came back later that night as the restaurant was closing down and arrested the people who had served them. pic.twitter.com/AiCzp49d8d
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) January 16, 2026
Seriously. The irony has to be as delish as the enchiladas and salsa, right?
At this point, we don’t have all the details, but it seems like reconnaissance to me. It’s similar to what happens during an arrest, where you need to confirm you have the right target. That’s definitely a positive approach.
Actually, there are words: “Great police work.” https://t.co/Xfz3eY78uw
— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) January 16, 2026
But the left wants to spew outrage no matter what the situation. “They’re arresting people without targeting!!”
Evidence indicates targeting. “How dare they target people!!!”
You don’t get a free pass just because food was involved. If they had made the arrests during lunch, those on the left would have found some other reason to complain, expressing how terrible it was or how scared people felt. They actually conducted the arrests at the end of the day, after the business had closed.
Ah yes the "made you a burrito" exception to immigration law. https://t.co/8POLlsjbzb
— Andrew "The Kid" Glidden (@asglidden) January 16, 2026
Democrats should be upfront and admit that they don’t want the law enforced; that seems to be the crux of the matter at this stage. Their constant calls for people to oppose enforcement only reinforce this point. And we all know why they’re pitching such fits: Illegal aliens get mail-in ballots and they also count in the census, so Democrats get to keep congressional seats they don’t deserve.
