J.D. Vance Blames 'Far-Left People' For Minnesota Chaos — And Defends ICE Agents After Arrest of 5-Year-Old Boy and Renee Good's Death
J.D. Vance blamed chaos in Minnesota on 'far-left people' and state officials.
Jan. 23 2026, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Vice President J.D. Vance has fiercely defended Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies and blamed the "far-left" for ongoing chaos in Minnesota, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Vance, 41, went as far as defending ICE agents on the heels of reports of a five-year-old boy being detained and used as "bait" to lure more family members outside.
Reports of the preschooler's detainment come a little over two weeks after U.S. citizen and mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis.
J.D. Vance Blames 'Far-Left' for Chaos in Minnesota
Vance blamed 'far-left people' for creating a hostile environment in Minnesota.
"If you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement and accept that we have to have a border in this country," Vance said during a pitstop in Ohio on his way to Minnesota on Thursday, January 22. "It's not that hard."
Vance later met with ICE agents, business owners and others in Minneapolis for a closed-door meeting to discuss how to "bring down the temperature" before holding a press conference about the ongoing immigration raids amid protests.
At the press conference, the vice president blamed "far-left people" as well as state and local officials for creating a hostile work environment for ICE agents.
Vance Defends ICE Detaining 5-Year-Old Boy
ICE sparked outrage this week when a 5-year-old boy was detained and used as 'bait' to lure out more family members.
Vance also defended agents who detained Liam Ramos, 5, and his father. The Columbia Heights Public Schools district claimed the preschooler and his father were detained after returning home from school pickup.
The school district alleged ICE agents used the child as "bait" to lure other family members outside the home. Liam and his father have since been sent to an immigration facility in San Antonio, Texas.
Meanwhile, the vice president claimed agents were simply protecting the child from frigid outside temperatures.
Vance alleged ICE agents detained the preschooler to avoid leaving him out in the cold.
The father-of-three, who recently announced he and his wife Usha are pregnant with their fourth child, insisted agents targeted Liam's father, who is an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador.
"Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?" Vance said. "If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated the law because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement."
Attorney Marc Prokosch, who is representing Liam's family, condemned Vance's excuses.
Detained Preschooler's Attorney Pushes Back on Vance's Claims
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The family's attorney claimed Liam and his father entered the country legally and applied for asylum.
"How can you justify incarcerating a child?," the immigration attorney told reporters on Thursday.
Prokosch noted Liam's father has no criminal history and insisted the family has been in the country legally. He further explained the family entered the U.S. in 2024 through Texas and used an immigration authorities app to apply for asylum.
"These are not illegal aliens," Prokosch declared. "They came properly and are pursuing a legal pathway."
The lawyer told reporters while he's aware Liam and his father have been sent to a detention facility in Texas, he has not been able to directly communicate with them.
