Policing a city on ICE: Minneapolis PD Chief Brian O’Hara
Sat Feb 07 2026
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara returns to “Firing Line” to talk about the impact of the federal immigration enforcement surge in his city and the protests against it.
He addresses the Trump administration’s announcement that 700 federal officers will be leaving Minnesota and responds to comments President Trump made this week about the surge and about crime in Minneapolis.
O’Hara, who reformed the Minneapolis Police Department after George Floyd’s murder, explains why the actions of ICE are putting the progress he has made at risk and how his understaffed department is responding to the crisis.
He discusses the relationship between local and federal law enforcement, the importance of accountability, and his assessment of the tactics used by protesters. He also comments on Trump’s threats to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Charles R. Schwab, Lindsay and George Billingsley, The Meadowlark Foundation, Jared Stone, and Al and Kathy Hubbard.
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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara returns to “Firing Line” to talk about the impact of the federal immigration enforcement surge in his city and the protests against it. He addresses the Trump administration’s announcement that 700 federal officers will be leaving Minnesota and responds to comments President Trump made this week about the surge and about crime in Minneapolis. O’Hara, who reformed the Minneapolis Police Department after George Floyd’s murder, explains why the actions of ICE are putting the progress he has made at risk and how his understaffed department is responding to the crisis. He discusses the relationship between local and federal law enforcement, the importance of accountability, and his assessment of the tactics used by protesters. He also comments on Trump’s threats to invoke the Insurrection Act. Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, The Tepper Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Pritzker Military Foundation, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Katharine J. Rayner, Charles R. Schwab, Lindsay and George Billingsley, The Meadowlark Foundation, Jared Stone, and Al and Kathy Hubbard.