Border Czar Tom Homan said during a Thursday evening interview that he planned to speak to President Donald Trump on Friday about invoking the Insurrection Act to quell left-wing violence directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and other federal agents in Minneapolis. In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Homan said he didn’t want to speculate about what Trump would do, but did say invoking the act is a “viable option.”
“Is it time for the Insurrection Act, or would that just add gasoline to the fire?” Ingraham asked during the segment.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the President on that,” Homan replied, “but it’s certainly an option, a viable option. So actually, I’ll be meeting with the President tomorrow.”
“I think it’s something that needs to be on the table, because this cannot continue,” Homan added. “There is going to be more bloodshed. I’m telling you, I hope I’m wrong. There’s going to be more bloodshed if something isn’t done.”
“And most Minnesotans…support ICE. It’s this radical group of anarchists, and when you see them close up, you really get a sense of who they are,” Ingraham said. “It’s this crowd, a lot of them paid, a lot of them working double shifts of protests, against the rest of the state…They don’t like what’s happening in the Twin Cities.”
“As far as the organization, everybody that’s planning these protests, giving these people weapons, and funding this. Again, justice is coming, cause we’re deep-diving that whole thing,” Homan said.
WATCH:
The Department of Homeland Security said it arrested a man in Minneapolis on Wednesday night who assaulted a federal immigration agent while carrying a firearm and a box of ammunition.
The arrest occurred several hours after a separate federal agent was attacked by an illegal migrant from Venezuela who allegedly struck the agent with a shovel. DHS said the migrant was shot in the leg during the encounter, an incident that officials say contributed to escalating riots in the city, Fox News reported.
“Last night during a riot in Minneapolis, a U.S. citizen was arrested for assaulting officers while carrying a firearm,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.
“The individual showed up to the protest with a gun and a box of ammunition in a bag. The individual threatened violence against law enforcement officers while pointing at his bag,” McLaughlin said.
She said law enforcement deployed crowd control measures as the situation became increasingly volatile.
“After law enforcement deployed crowd control measures to calm an increasingly volatile crowd, the individual kicked a metal smoke canister at officers. He then pushed an officer, and he was arrested for assault,” McLaughlin explained.
McLaughlin said the man told officers during his arrest that he was armed. A firearm and a box of ammunition were recovered, and officials determined he was not carrying a concealed carry permit.
“This is not the peaceful protesting that the First Amendment protects,” McLaughlin said.
Tensions in Minneapolis have remained high as federal law enforcement officers face repeated confrontations with protesters and agitators. Riots began shortly after the Jan. 7 death of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during an altercation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem referred to Good as a “domestic terrorist,” alleging she used her vehicle as a weapon after obstructing ICE agents on a roadway.
