Dear Editor,
I understand that the editorial board of the Irish Echo has never fully recovered from Donald J. Trump’s reelection, and his core campaign promise to secure the border and have the largest deportation operation in history. On top of that Trump Derangement Syndrome is alive and well in most of your contributors.
Last week, Jim Mulvaney, who lacks real-life experience and was never a member of law enforcement, penned a scathing piece titled ‘In their Own Words’ Echo Opinion (January 21, 2026), praising the enlightenment of Robert Peel, London Metropolitan Police, NYPD etc. However, the piece quickly devolved into a complete bashing of the courageous men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Just for the record, public approval occurred on Election Day November 5, 2024.
Regrettably, Jim lacks comprehension of the complexities involved in securing compliance from the public without the support of local law enforcement agencies, who are both eager and willing to assist. Regrettably, these agencies have been impeded by the elected leaders who harbor apprehensions of losing their political base and financial support from illicit proceeds generated by the recently uncovered Nine-billion-dollar fraud operation.
The ongoing immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota involves two branches of the Department of Homeland Security: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
ICE Special Agents, Border Patrol Agents, and Customs and Border Protection Officers are certified Federal Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) despite what Governor Walz and pundits claim. They receive the same training as all federal agents or officers at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia, or the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, New Mexico. The only difference is that they receive additional training in U.S. immigration law which they also enforce.
ICE/CBP personnel can make warrantless arrests and can enter homes either in a hot pursuit with a criminal arrest warrant or an administrative ICE arrest warrant. For decades, Courts, Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative ICE arrest warrants in cases of immigration enforcement.
Just as a FYI, Immigration courts are administrative courts within the U.S. Department of Justice. They hear the cases of aliens the government is trying to deport or, in the terminology of immigration law, “remove” from the country. They are separate from the courts that operate within the judicial branch, established under Article III of the U.S. Constitution.
If the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and State of Minnesota would honor ICE detainers and allow them to come to jails and prisons to pick up criminal illegal aliens, they wouldn’t have to conduct street operations in Minneapolis.
The Mayor, County Executive, and Governor have forbidden Minneapolis Police, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, and Minnesota State Patrol from providing any assistance until the situation escalates. These elected officials seem more concerned with protecting criminal illegal aliens than US citizens.
The Mayor and Governor bear direct responsibility for inciting criminal behavior and escalating the situation through remarks such as “Get the F out of Minneapolis,” comparisons to Anne Frank, and painting ICE/CBP Special Agents and Officers as Nazis. While the loss of life by two members of the insurgency was tragic, it was a direct consequence of their criminal behavior, not the actions of "observers “or "protesters".
Furthermore, a well-organized, trained, and financially supported insurgency criminal operation exists within Minnesota, encompassing various groups such as ICE Watch, BLM, Antifa, Communist organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and foreign government operatives. Its primary objective transcends the protection of criminal illegal aliens, deportable illegal aliens, and extends to the overthrow of the nation. Recently, an independent journalist exposed this operation by infiltrating their Signal Chat. The chat contains operational security (OPSEC) and training manuals, as well as high-ranking city, county, and state officials utilizing government resources to check license plates, disclose personal information about ICE and CBP personnel (DOX), interfere with activities, disrupt operations at the federal government complex and hotels, and monitor Immigration Enforcement Operations. This revelation poses a significant threat to the safety and well-being of the dedicated members of the Federal Law Enforcement and our nation.
Just because Irish Echo hosted their 17th Annual Law & Order event in January doesn’t give you the right to compare the brave men and women of ICE and CBP to the Black and Tans (Editorial 'Beyond the Pale' 26 January). That is a bridge too far for me.
The only thing beyond the pale is this shameful editorial.
Brian J. Sharkey
Long Beach, New York
