At least in theory, the U.S. is a country where laws are supposed to matter. But if you’ve been paying much attention lately, you can’t help but notice that Immigration and Customs Enforcement hasn’t paid much attention to those pesky laws while terrorizing Minneapolis. It also looks like things may be even more chaotic behind the scenes than you may have thought, with Wired reporting that at least 31 ICE vehicles are currently operating in the Twin Cities, even though they ”currently lack the necessary emergency lights and sirens” they need to be “compliant with law enforcement requirements.”
Wired also probably wouldn’t have learned this if ICE hadn’t tried to fix the issue by having the vehicles retrofitted, which meant publishing a contract justification in a federal register. According to the document, ICE plans to spend $47,330.49 to have the Connecticut-based Whelen Engineering Company add ”emergency warning and lighting technology” to at least 31 vehicles. Those kits would ”allow vehicles to be immediately operational and compliant with law enforcement requirements to support the current surge operation” in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Homeland Security Investigations’ St. Paul office also operates in North and South Dakota.
The document also makes it clear that they knew these vehicles weren’t compliant, saying plainly, ”These vehicles were deployed prior to being permanently retrofitted and currently lack the necessary emergency lights and sirens required for operational use.” That said, it also attempts to justify the use of these noncompliant vehicles, citing ”the time-sensitive nature of the mission” and claiming that waiting to deploy them “would negatively impact operational readiness, law enforcement officer safety, and public safety.”
No regard for the law
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her.
— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social)2026-01-13T18:56:54.224Z
Considering it’s only been a week since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good, and her shooting marks the 13th time immigration agents have opened fire on someone’s vehicle since July, news that ICE isn’t dotting its Is and crossing its Ts probably feels like table stakes. And, ultimately, that’s probably the correct take. It’s also not like U.S. law enforcement only recently began targeting protesters, bystanders, and activists with unnecessary violence…