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As the Trump administration ramps up enforcement against illegal immigration and cracks down on welfare fraud, the radical left is escalating its tactics in a calculated bid to create martyrs.
We’ve seen this before, but today’s ideological fervor, backed by deep-pocketed donors and foreign influences, makes it far more dangerous. From blocking ICE operations to shielding massive fraud schemes in states like Minnesota, Illinois, California, and New York, the left isn’t just resisting—they’re spoiling for a fight that with the intent of sparking widespread unrest.
The signs are everywhere. In recent days, we’ve witnessed nullificationist governors and mayors openly defying federal authority, stoking violent rhetoric in the wake of the shooting death of Rachel Good in Minneapolis after she allegedly attempted to rundown a federal law enforcement agent. This incitement by elected officials inevitably increases the threat of violence against ICE agents. This is a calculated strategy.
As the New York Post reported, Good was a so-called “ICE Watch” activist, whom a friend called a “warrior.” Meaning, Good was at the federal law enforcement operation to disrupt it and — with luck — get filmed while doing so.
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A person is detained as federal agents and police clash with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minn. on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
But Trump and federal law enforcement shouldn’t back down; they should outsmart the professional agitators with agile tactics.
Elected officials on the left are whipping up hysteria not just to fundraise and fend off primary challenges from their even more extreme flanks, but to provoke confrontations that could produce martyrs. Martyrs, as history shows, are powerful accelerants for political violence, as the death of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis showed. They rally the base and demonize opponents — with the two main strategic objectives being to pressure administrations to retreat while costing Republicans in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential contest.
Take the ongoing battle over welfare fraud. In Minnesota, the Feeding Our Future scandal exposed a staggering $250 million in stolen federal funds meant for child nutrition during the pandemic. Somali immigrants, some with ties to questionable nonprofits, funneled money overseas, including, it appears, to potential terrorist groups. Yet when federal investigators dig deeper, left-wing activists and politicians cry foul, framing it as racial persecution. This isn’t isolated.
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In Illinois, audits reveal billions in improper Medicaid payments, often linked to unchecked immigration. California’s Medi-Cal program is a black hole of fraud, with estimates topping $20 billion annually, exacerbated by sanctuary policies that shield illegal immigrants. New York’s welfare system fares no better, with rampant overpayments and little oversight.
The left wants these inquiries halted — not because they’re baseless, but because exposing the rot undermines their narrative of open borders and endless entitlements.
But why the drive for martyrs? It stems from a deep understanding of revolutionary psychology. Today’s agitators aren’t the opportunistic looters of past riots; they’re ideologically driven, often professional organizers funded by left-wing billionaires and overseas sources, including China. Beijing has a vested interest in sowing chaos here — weakening America from within while advancing its global ambitions. These groups know additional high-profile deaths in clashes with ICE could spark nationwide outrage, amplified by sympathetic media.
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This brings me to a personal reflection from my time in uniform. In 1992, as a young Army intelligence officer, I was deployed with the California National Guard to quell the Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict. For days, gangs and criminals grew bolder, night after night. False rumors spread like wildfire: that we Guardsmen had no ammo or were prohibited from using our weapons. It emboldened the criminal gangs. Leftist agitators were there too, distributing flyers and organizing, trying to spark a full-blown revolution. But their raw material was thin — mostly opportunistic criminals uninterested in dying for a cause.
Then came an inflection point. One night, a man attempted to run down a Guard checkpoint. In self-defense, soldiers opened fire, killing him. The next day, the streets transformed. Gangs and criminals were suddenly on their best behavior. The rumors were proven false.
Contrast that with today. In 1992, the agitators failed because the rioters weren’t ideological zealots willing to become martyrs. Now, the motivation is different.
Protests against President Donald Trump and ICE are orchestrated by groups like Antifa and pro-Palestinian networks, steeped in Marxist ideology and funded lavishly. They crave a martyr to fuel their narrative of “fascist” oppression.
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Just look at historical precedents. During the secession crisis of 1860-61, after Virginia seceded, federal troops occupied Alexandria. U.S. Army Col. Elmer Ellsworth, a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, was shot dead while removing a Confederate flag from a hotel. The hotel owner, James Jackson, was killed in response seconds later. Overnight, the Union and Confederacy had their first martyrs, propelling a conflict that claimed more than 620,000 lives over four years of bloody conflict.
We can’t let history repeat. The left’s strategy relies on predictable enforcement allowing time for agitators to mobilize, film confrontations and escalate. Trump and ICE must adapt to try to prevent additional shootings. They can do this by shifting operations rapidly, using intelligence to preempt gatherings and employing non-lethal tools where possible. They must surge resources into fraud hot spots like Minnesota’s Somali communities or California’s sanctuary cities, but do it unpredictably. They must coordinate with willing state officials to bypass nullificationists. And they must expose the funding trails — trace the money from billionaire foundations and Chinese-linked entities fueling the unrest.
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Backing down would hand the left a victory, emboldening further defiance and eroding the rule of law. Instead, smart enforcement will drain the swamp of fraud, secure our borders, and deny radicals their prized martyrs. America has faced down worse threats. Resolve wins the day.
Trump must press forward — decisively, but wisely — for the sake of America’s future.
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