Minnesota’s DFL establishment presents a sort of neo-Confederate scene that used to go under the moniker of “massive resistance,” but the mentality goes beyond that. In 1861 the seceding states could not abide the election of Abraham Lincoln. Although he scrupulously vowed to uphold the Constitution, they feared his view of slavery. Whatever high-minded words they otherwise had to say, their resistance to Lincoln was all about slavery.
Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens made that much clear in his famous Cornerstone Speech. As he explained in March 1861, “This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution.” Would that our current cast of characters were anywhere near so candid.
In 2026 the the Democrats cannot abide the administration of Donald Trump. They oppose his enforcement of immigration law. They support illegal immigration. However they cloak it for public consumption, that is the cause for which they fight. Illegal immigration is the cornerstone of their vision of the United States.
State and local authorities supporting the resistance to federal law enforcement call the illegal immigrants, criminal or othwerwise, “neighbors.” Suffice it to say that they are less forthright in support of their cause than Alexander Stephens was in support of his.
The most prominent of those among our neo-Confederate officeholders are Governor Tim Walz, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig, and Mayor Jacob Frey. Their support of the resistance has become de rigueur among Democrats. They are all on board.
Minneapolis’s Star Tribune is the stultifying voice of the DFL establishment in the state. Every day it features stories and columns denigrating immigration enforcement and supporting illegal immigration, usually several times a day. The classic below was delivered mid-day yesterday.
Let’s take a look at how Minnesota media is reporting today’s arrest of a man facing first-degree drug charges for possessing over 50 pounds of meth— https://t.co/Tc25vS5PF6 pic.twitter.com/xSfNVw0hO3
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) February 11, 2026
The Star Tribune characterizes the apprehension of Junior de Jesus Herrera Berrios — “an 18-year-old from Burnsville” — as “chaotic.” It was chaotic because he ran away from the ICE agents. They had to chase and tackle him.
I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that Herrera Berrios is not originally “from Burnsville,” but rather is an illegal alien from Mexico or points south. The Star Tribune story now includes a statement from DHS asserting that Herrera Berrios was a “criminal illegal alien” who would remain in ICE custody after he had been released by Hennepin County back into Minnesota communities.
“This is why we need cooperation of local law enforcement,” the statement continued. “Since President Trump took office, Minnesota sanctuary politicians have refused to cooperate with ICE and released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets of Minnesota.” How does the Woody Guthrie song go? “Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria…”
By the way, the apprehension took place on the extremely public main level of the Hennepin County Government Center. The Star Tribune story now quotes a Hennepin County spokesman: “Under federal law, ICE agents have the authority to enforce immigration laws anywhere within the United States. Hennepin County facilities, including courthouses, include spaces that are open to the public, including federal, state, and local law enforcement agents who may be performing their official duties.” But how cann this be?
The Star Tribune must put a lot of thought into finding angles from which to portray the enforcement of immigration law as a tragedy to be avoided. Earlier this week, the Star Tribune reported one such tragedy: “School leaders fear declining attendance during ICE surge will also lower state funding.”
That’s one angle, but there are others that could easily be pursued. Let’s see if we can spot the euphemistic construction of this key paragraph: “Fears that their children will be approached and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have prompted many families to keep their kids at home, causing attendance to drop sharply at many of Minnesota’s K-12 schools as Operation Metro Surge enters its third month. Because the money to pay teachers, counselors, bus drivers and principals is tied to attendance, officials fear prolonged absences by students in hiding will lead to declining state funding for schools”
I interrpet this to mean that illegal aliens are keeping their kids home from school to shelter them from law enforcement. We are paying for their education, of course, and the cost of their education must be substantial, Howver, these financial considerations are beyond the scope of the story. They do not advance the desired angle. The presumption is that illegal immigration is a cornerstone of our establishment, as indeed it is.
Victor Davis Hanson addresses my theme in the video below. The Daily Signal has posted a lightly edited transcript here. As Victor puts the case of the Star Tribuen et al., “for the larger part, they feel that they’re a law and a culture unto their own….And they have chosen a most unenlightened, backward position because the common denominator is they feel that this is a source of power and continuity of their control of government.”
