Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Trump administration is committed to enforcing immigration law in a deliberate and orderly manner, while placing blame on sanctuary jurisdictions for scenes of unrest that have accompanied recent federal operations.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News host Martha MacCallum, Vance acknowledged that videos showing clashes between federal agents and protesters are troubling, but argued that such confrontations are not representative of how immigration enforcement typically works.
“We don’t want immigration enforcement to be chaotic,” Vance said. “In 99% of cases, you have a federal law enforcement officer, they show up at a jail or they show up somewhere else, they identify a person who needs to be deported, and they get them out of our country.”
Vance contended that high-profile flashpoints in cities like Minneapolis and Los Angeles stem from local officials refusing to cooperate with federal authorities. “Where you have that chaos in Minneapolis or Los Angeles, it’s because the local authorities are so committed to an open border that they want to put law enforcement at risk,” he said. “We’re not going to surrender to that. We’re not going to submit to that.”
Several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, maintain policies limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration has argued that such policies force federal agents to conduct operations in communities rather than transferring custody directly from local jails.
That tension was especially visible during “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale immigration enforcement initiative in Minneapolis and surrounding areas. The operation drew fierce opposition from Democratic leaders in Minnesota and sparked protests following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, incidents that were captured on video and circulated widely online.
In February, the administration began scaling back the federal presence in Minnesota after weeks of intensified activity. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, assumed control of the operation last month, replacing Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino. After meeting with Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Homan announced what he described as “unprecedented levels of coordination” between federal and local officials.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said last week.
Vance emphasized that the administration remains committed to deportations and border security, but said it intends to proceed strategically. “We are going to be deliberate, we’re going to be smart,” he said. “We’re going to try to prevent these chaotic scenes that, of course, the Democrats use to their political advantage, but we’re going to keep on enforcing the border. That’s the mandate the American people gave us.”
His comments reflect differing approaches within the administration over enforcement priorities. Some officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have pushed for a broader expansion of arrests, while Homan and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons have emphasized prioritizing violent offenders and public safety threats before pursuing other immigration violations.
As the administration balances political pressures with operational realities, Vance made clear that sanctuary policies will continue to be a central point of contention in the ongoing immigration debate.
The post Vance: Admin Wants To Avoid ‘Chaotic’ Immigration Enforcement, But Sanctuary Cities Stand In The Way appeared first on Real News Now.
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