Scalise Defends ICE After Minneapolis Incident, Urges Calmer Rhetoric and Blames Local Leadership

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation on Jan. 25, 2026, addressing the federal response to unrest in Minneapolis, broader immigration-enforcement policy, and related investigations in Minnesota.

On the Minneapolis Response

Margaret Brennan: You asked whether you would join calls for a joint federal-state investigation into the events in Minneapolis. Senator Bill Cassidy described recent events as deeply disturbing and said ICE and DHS credibility are at stake. Would you support that?

Leader Steve Scalise: Scalise said he does not question ICE’s credibility, noting the agency does difficult work and that he regrets what happened in Minneapolis. He argued that Minneapolis faces unique public-safety challenges and criticized local leadership for having “defunded the police,” which he said leaves law enforcement stretched thin. He contrasted Minneapolis with other cities where ICE operates without similar incidents.

"I wish yesterday didn't happen," Scalise said. "The rhetoric does need to be toned down, but we also need to remember why ICE is doing this in cities: they're enforcing federal law."

Crime Data and Enforcement

Brennan cited Minnesota crime data showing year-to-date drops in several categories (shooting victims down 76%, homicides down 67%, burglary down 39%), asking whether the federal surge and large number of agents deployed were proportionate. Scalise replied that ICE’s arrests of violent offenders have helped reduce crime in many places and reiterated a figure he cited throughout the interview: that ICE arrested 416,000 criminals in the last year.

He stressed that federal immigration enforcement targets people who are in the country illegally and who commit violent crimes, and he urged officials and public figures to avoid inflammatory language that could escalate tensions around operations.

Protests, Firearms, And Law Enforcement

Brennan asked whether Americans have the right to bear arms while protesting. Scalise said he co-sponsored Louisiana’s concealed-carry law and emphasized that state laws differ. He added that carrying a firearm while committing another crime is illegal, and that interfering with law enforcement is a felony. He also said some post-shooting gatherings in Minneapolis were unlawful assemblies and that objects were thrown at federal agents.

Investigations And Voting-Integrity Claims

The interview turned to a letter reported between Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz offering to end the federal surge if the state complied with certain requests, including access to assistance program records and voter-registration logs. Scalise said he had not read the specific letter but defended Congressional probes into "tens of billions" in alleged fraud in Minnesota and said lawmakers are pursuing national voting-integrity measures such as the SAVE Act, which he said would bar noncitizens from voting and require photo ID.

Specific Cases And Broader Context

Brennan raised concerns about specific enforcement actions this week, including reports of children detained and an unarmed woman shot by an officer. Scalise highlighted his view that the father of one detained child was in the country illegally and had abandoned the child, and reiterated his broader contention that stronger border and immigration enforcement has removed violent offenders from communities.

Scalise closed by urging local leaders to "tone down" rhetoric and focus on lawful public-safety responses, while acknowledging he wished the disturbing events had not occurred.