The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump in retreat as disastrous anti-immigrant campaign becomes political catastrophe
27 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What factors led to the escalation of Trump's anti-immigrant campaign?
The U.S. military deployed on the streets of America. Whole communities targeted for removal.
There was tremendous anxiety as they saw neighbors and friends being taken.
And when accountability finally came knocking, the burn order to cover it all up.
I never believed that America would be doing this.
A stain on this country, one that we said we would never repeat. Rachel Maddow presents Burn Order. All episodes available now. Really happy to have you here tonight as President Donald Trump and the Trump administration bend and then break under pressure that it turns out they cannot handle.
They underestimated the people of Minnesota and the strength of feeling in this country right now in support of the people of Minneapolis. Tonight, the Trump administration is pulling Border Patrol official Greg Bovino and some number of Border Patrol agents out of Minneapolis.
We do not know if this is the end of what they've been calling Operation Metro Surge, this sustained, very large-scale paramilitary attack on the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. We don't know if it is the end of that Operation Full Stop, but we know it's the end of something.
Our latest reporting here at MSNOW per our reporters Carol Lennig and Mark Santia is this, quote, "'According to two officials briefed on the matter, Gregory Bovino is expected to be removed from commanding the operation in Minnesota possibly as early as tomorrow,' meaning Tuesday." There will also be a reduction of Homeland Security officers and agents in the state.
Again, that's new reporting from MSNOW. We're also aware of new reporting in The Atlantic tonight. And this is reporting that we have not confirmed ourselves, but I'll tell you that reporter Nick Miroff, who has an excellent reputation at The Atlantic tonight, he reports this under the headline, quote, "'Greg Bovino loses his job.'"
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Chapter 2: How are communities in Minnesota responding to federal actions?
That could also be true, while tonight he has not been relieved of his duties. I don't know. We don't know what heads will roll or exactly in which direction they shall roll. We shall see. But clearly, President Trump and the Trump administration are in retreat on what had been a violent attack
occupation, I think it's fair to say, of a major American city that they essentially hoped to be the front page news headline that everybody remembered about the Trump administration at this time at the start of Trump's second year in his second term in office. They went big with this on their own terms. Nobody asked for this. Nobody put them up to it.
They decided to launch this in order to show off what they could do. And now they are in full retreat, with it being viewed both as a practical debacle and a moral debacle, and they are paying a considerable political price for it. If you were one of millions of Americans who protested ICE out of Minneapolis, you should know tonight you are winning this thing.
and is worth understanding the power of what you have done. President Trump today and tonight held conciliatory phone calls with the Democratic governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, and the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Fry. Both of those elected officials were demonized by Trump and by the Trump administration up until, like, 30 seconds ago.
Once Trump started criticizing both of those elected officials, his U.S. Department of Justice naturally put both of them under federal investigation of some kind, since that's how federal law enforcement works now.
The president gets mad at you or wants to hurt you for some reason, and bingo, magically you're instantly the subject of a federal criminal or civil investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Even with those threats, though, even with those investigations launched against them, those threats against Minnesota elected leaders seem to have had the opposite of the intended effect on them. It seems to have caused them to dig in and fight harder. It definitely increased their political support, both in their state and around the country.
Similarly, the federal government's threats to the people of Minneapolis. Federal agents increasingly unhinged an explosive violence toward the people of Minneapolis. They're killing people protesting and observing and filming federal agents in Minneapolis. That also seems to have had the opposite of their intended effect.
It caused more people to commit more to being in the streets more of the time, to come out in larger numbers, to come out with more resolve and, honestly, with more emotion. It definitely sent support for them soaring all around the country. On Friday, you'll recall, there were huge marches and demonstrations in Minneapolis. A day in which the whole city of Minneapolis basically shut down.
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Chapter 3: What recent events have highlighted the opposition to ICE in Minneapolis?
Kids home from school, people didn't go to work, people agreed that they would spend nothing that day, transact no business that day. They instead spent the day in prayer and protest and finding new ways to stand up for each other, including these dozens of members of the clergy who were arrested Friday morning at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
They were there urging Delta Airlines and Signature Aviation and other companies with business at the airport to stop cooperating with ICE. Peaceful civil disobedience by members of the clergy, dozens of whom were arrested at the start of the day Friday morning in that bitter, bitter Sub-Zero cold. It was the next day, Saturday. when Trump's federal agents killed Alex Preti in the street.
And the streets filled instantly in response, in protest, in anger, in grief. And by that night, there were protests and vigils all over the city and on Sunday as well, just everywhere in Minneapolis. At the site where they killed him, at Whittier Park in that same neighborhood where they killed him, in downtown at Minneapolis City Hall and communities all over the city, retirement homes, right?
Where octogenarians came out into the bitter minus 20 degree weather to hold candles in vigil for Alex Preddy and for their city. I mean, still today, this was a walkout today at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. But it wasn't only Minneapolis standing up for themselves. I mean, this was Davenport, Iowa. This is six hours away from Minneapolis. We stand with Minnesota.
This was 600 miles away in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the cold and the snow, Grand Rapids stands with Minnesota. This was 1,600 miles away. In Orlando, Florida, ICE murders again. This was Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Alex Pretty went to high school. The high temperature was a grand total of seven degrees. See all the people there on the bridge?
People came out in the cold and the ice and marched in his name and to stand up for Minneapolis. In Phoenix, Arizona, protests convened at the ICE field office in Phoenix. Big protests there Saturday night. Salt Lake City, Utah. Protests convened at the federal building there.
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Chapter 4: How did the protests in Minneapolis impact Trump's administration?
Look at that. Again, Saturday. This is instant. No advance notice. People just convened there on an emergency basis, essentially, after hearing the news. They were everywhere on zero notice. In anger at ICE and at the Trump administration and in memory of Alex Preddy and in support of the people of Minneapolis. Here was Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend. Here was New York City.
A really big protest in New York City convened on zero notice Saturday afternoon after Alex Preddy was killed Saturday morning. Here was Seattle. Here was Tampa, Florida. Tampa on the right there, Seattle on the left. Here was Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the bitter, bitter cold and the snow. Here was Boise City Hall in Idaho.
And Idaho, deep red Idaho, actually had more protests than just Boise. Also in Twin Falls, Idaho, and Idaho Falls in Coeur d'Alene. There was a huge, huge protest in Chicago. And of course, Chicago has been through it themselves. But a huge number of Chicagoans turned out in the cold and the snow to stand up for Minneapolis as well. In Omaha, Nebraska, they came out. In San Francisco, California.
In Los Angeles, California. In Sacramento, California. In Charleston, South Carolina. In Lantana, Florida. Traverse City, Michigan. It was absolutely frigid. They had 2,000 people out. We stand with Minneapolis.
Chapter 5: What role did local leaders play in the protests against ICE?
And, you know, at every protest I've ever been to, every protest I've ever covered, as long as it's a protest that's happening in the English language, everyone I've ever been to or seen, somebody at some point starts up the chant, this is what democracy looks like, right? We've all heard that so much. It has become like protest wallpaper. It almost feels like generic sentiment, right?
This is what democracy looks like. But it is literally true. It is what democracy looks like. Peaceful protest is a core part of democratic action, small-D democratic action. And the unromantic, strong, simple truth of the matter is that in our country right now, every small-D democratic muscle that we have is flexing. And it turns out that that's way stronger than Donald Trump.
and way stronger than the worst designs of the Trump administration. United, persistent, earnest, creative, peaceful protests that have not relented for a minute in Minneapolis.
Everybody from clergy, to professional sports teams, to unions, to school parent groups, to school kids themselves, to indivisible groups, to Native American activists, to people who had never previously protested a single thing in their lives. I mean, every day, nevertheless, protesting, demonstrating, telling Trump's agents to get out, never giving them a moment's peace.
spontaneous, instinctual, and then ultimately organized mutual aid, community support, alerting people to the presence of federal agents, walking people's kids to and from school, dropping off groceries to families too afraid for good reason to get out of their house, doing Know Your Rights trainings everywhere, responding in person when people are being attacked or taken, not being afraid when Trump's masked agents turn those very things into life-threatening confrontations.
or being afraid, but still doing it anyway. And from the ground up, that huge effort by regular people in Minneapolis and people supporting them all around the country, it set everything in motion. And now we are seeing what's called political pushback that is so widespread and that is so relentless and that is so strong, there is no resisting it, even if you, say, don't believe in democracy.
Local elected officials encouraging the peaceful protests, asking people to keep recording everything they can about the behavior of these lawless paramilitaries. You'd then see local elected officials out among the people. I mean, this was Governor Tim Walz and his wife at a vigil for Renee Goode.
This past Friday, Senator Amy Klobuchar and her husband at the huge peaceful protests in Minneapolis. We're going to speak with Senator Klobuchar in just a moment. I mean, you have you have Democratic force massed on one side of this issue.
And on the other side, they have guns and tear gas and physical brutality and menace and their propaganda about how terrible immigrants are and how terrible, you know, how everybody's against them as a communist or whatever. I mean, that's what they've got. They've got physical force. weapons, menace, and propaganda. That's what they've got on their side.
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Chapter 6: How are businesses reacting to the federal government's immigration policies?
And guess which side wins? And so after they killed Alex Preti on Saturday, we very quickly saw it all fall apart for them. Not because somebody defeated them in physical battle, right? They're the ones who are geared up like the way they're going to win, the way they're going to overthrow this democracy is in some kind of war, right?
They can just have just the right military gear and just the right threatening, physical, intimidating force. That'll be how they win, right? That's how they think they'll win. With guns.
The people of this country, on the other side, the opponents of that overthrow, the population of this country that is committed to, you know, no kings, and there never being a dictator here, they know that the way they're gonna win is not with guns, is not in a war,
The people on the other side of this fight, they know the way they're going to save American democracy is by using American democratic means to do so. And that means protest and speech and political power. After months of protest, what happened when they killed Alex Preddy? There was a small d democratic flex against which the Trump administration just crumbled.
Republicans in the Minnesota State Legislature, quote, it's clear that Operation Metro Surge is causing more harm than good. It needs to end. We need to, quote, de-escalate. We need to, quote, pause targeted operations. Again, that's Minnesota Republicans in the legislature. A leading Republican candidate for governor in Minnesota drops out of the race for governor today.
A surprise announcement, quote, Republican Chris Madel made a stunning exit from the Minnesota governor's race today, saying he cannot support the National Republican Party's stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so. lead in the Star Tribune.
Quote, in a surprise video announcement, he said, United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. U.S. citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That's wrong.
Madel called ICE's Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, quote, an unmitigated disaster, saying, at the end of the day, quote, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them I believe I did what was right, and I'm doing that today. as he quit his race for governor as a Republican, saying he could not stand right now to run in Minnesota as a Republican. It's also Republicans in Congress.
Quote, the events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the protests for national immigration policy?
The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth. Quote, a thorough investigation is necessary to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans' confidence in our justice system. Republican governors. Republican governors, too. Quote, enough.
It's not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government. At best, these federal immigration operations are a complete failure of coordination of acceptable public safety and law enforcement practices, training, and leadership.
At worst, it's a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that's resulting in the murder of Americans. Another Republican governor, quote, "...what we're seeing on TV, it's causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability. Americans don't like what they're seeing right now." Another Republican governor.
The Trump administration needs, quote, to recalibrate on what needs to be done. Recalibrate. The Democrats in Congress moving to, on the Senate side,
Even Democratic senators who have sided with Republicans in the past, who have voted to fund the Trump administration when other Democrats didn't want to do that, even those Democratic senators, basically all the so-called moderates, the conservative Democrats, they came out and said they will not vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
And that is a vote that has to happen this week. Democrats saying they are not going to do it even if they have done it before. In the House, the number of members of Congress who are signing up to an effort there to impeach Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, that races up to well over, look at that, 140 co-sponsors. I was going to say over 100 now.
It's now at 140 co-sponsors of the resolution to impeach Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary. And last week, there were a handful of House Democrats who did vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Those handful of House Democrats who voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security last week have this week started apologizing for it.
Democrat Tom Suozzi in New York, quote, I failed to view the Homeland Security funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis. I hear the anger from many of my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE's unlawful behavior, and I must do a better job demonstrating that.
Some Democrats changing their previous position to say now they will not vote to fund ICE, and some Democrats who already voted to fund ICE saying, oh wow, that was wrong, I'm so sorry. I didn't get it. I'll do better.
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Chapter 8: What actions are being taken across the country against ICE facilities?
This is called political change. And even in the sinkhole of sniveling cowardice that has been America's business so-called leaders, Even there, they're starting to ever so tentatively squeak that maybe, possibly, if nobody minds, they might want to express that they're mildly uncomfortable with what Trump and the Trump administration are doing.
chief executives of Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill, Land O'Lakes, Hormel, U.S. Bancorp, The Mayo Clinic, 3M, and dozens of other large Minnesota employers issued a public letter Sunday calling for, quote, an immediate de-escalation. An immediate de-escalation in their state. And yes, that is too little. And yes, that is too late. But it is way more than they were willing to do before.
So take it, bank it, and build on it. We even saw some of the old graybeards of U.S. politics rouse from their retirement pastimes and diversions to say something. President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton each issuing pretty stirring statements condemning Trump's attack on Minneapolis and praising the strong, peaceful protests of the people there in response.
And, you know, we are conditioned to be bored and underwhelmed by anything done in Congress. And honestly, you know, by Congress, by candidates, by brand name politicians, by even state elected leaders, we are conditioned to expect that the actions of anyone in politics who is not currently the president are just, you know, not very powerful actions. They're just not very important.
But we are conditioned to believe that in a way that is not actually keeping faith with who we're supposed to be as a country. Because what we inherited from the founding fathers of this country is a democracy that was explicitly and purposefully designed to be decentralized and divided and responsive to the people.
And when the people push in a concerted way, what we are seeing is that the country is working the way it's supposed to. The levers of power are moving. There is a political response, a small-D democratic response. And yes, that means the president's poll numbers sink further into the bedrock, including on immigration, which he really at one point wanted to be his signature issue.
And he is now running from it. But the other forces of political gravity start to work on him as well. He may not want to be subject to democratic force, but he is. And in Congress and in state government and in party politics and in business, which to them all means money as well as power, you are seeing political shift happening. And that is because of the people. It starts with the people.
It starts with the protests that we have seenāprincipled, peaceful, relentless protest. It works. That is the source of this shift. Peaceful, powerful, relentless, principled protest works. It uses democratic means to save democracy. That is what has made all of this political shifting happen. That is what has forced the Trump administration to change course.
That is what has forced Trump to back down. Principle, peaceful, relentless protest is the democratic means of saving a democracy. And that is the only way to win for the long term. So as they pull Gregory Bovino and federal agents out of Minneapolis tonight, Be very clear on why this happened.
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