Democratic Party Fractures as ICE Ignites Internal Showdown

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Democratic Party Fractures as ICE Ignites Internal Showdown
Release Date: January 30, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on escalating tensions within the Democratic Party over immigration enforcement, particularly the role and future of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Ben Ferguson highlights what he frames as a "civil war" among Democrats: some openly calling to abolish ICE, while others hesitate to admit this stance directly. Drawing on recent events in Minnesota—including ICE arrests of criminal illegal immigrants, protests, and political rhetoric—Ferguson unpacks what he sees as a coordinated campaign by Democratic leaders to demonize ICE agents, embolden anti-ICE activism, and undermine law and order. He dissects statements from various politicians, highlighting what he considers hypocrisy and dangerous policy positions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fractures Within the Democratic Party Over ICE (00:50 – 01:17)

• Ferguson alleges that Democrats are divided between those who outright want to abolish ICE and those who prefer to "lie a little bit" about their intentions.
• He introduces the episode’s focus: Democrats are fighting ICE rather than criminals. He claims some are advocating not just abolishing ICE but potentially prosecuting ICE agents.

2. Recent ICE Arrests in Minnesota (02:24 – 04:43)

• An ICE agent details the arrest of three criminal illegal immigrants, including:

  • Hovi Kumaye (from Laos): Registered sex offender, conviction for child sex offenses, failure to register.
  • Samuel Arabella Hernandez (from Guatemala): Charged with rape and lewd acts with a minor.
  • Annabelle Gomez (from Honduras): Arrested previously for sexual conduct and domestic assault, multiple convictions including DUI.

• Quote:

  “These three individuals were arrested just since yesterday... They were walking the streets of Minneapolis with impunity.”
  — ICE Agent (02:30–04:00)

• The agent accuses local media of ignoring such stories and emphasizes the high total number of criminal arrests by ICE.

3. The Political Narrative: Democrats vs. Law Enforcement (04:43 – 06:36)

• Ferguson criticizes Sens. Chuck Schumer and others for opposing ICE actions, suggesting they’re “defending criminals.”
• He frames Democratic opposition as an orchestrated effort to “demonize and dehumanize” ICE agents, comparing ICE to the Gestapo.

4. Democrats Respond: Pro-Activist and Anti-ICE Rhetoric

• Chris Van Hollen’s Hope in Protesters (06:36 – 07:09)

  • Quote:

    "One of the things that gives me great hope, even amidst all of this division...are the patriots in places like Minneapolis who are standing up, blowing whistles to protect their neighbors, blowing whistles on the illegal tactics of ICE."
    — Chris Van Hollen (06:36–07:09)

• Ferguson counters: The “neighbors” protected are criminal offenders, not innocents. He cites the release of 500 individuals from Minneapolis police custody who could have been transferred to ICE.

5. Local Leaders and Protests in Churches (08:19 – 10:04)

• St. Paul Mayor and Democratic Senator Tina Smith are questioned about recent protests in churches.

• St. Paul Mayor: Evokes procedural parity—claims response to protests in places of worship matches response anywhere else, dodging criticism.

• Senator Tina Smith: Downplays unrest, stressing that “almost all” protests are peaceful, urging activists to avoid fueling Trump’s narrative.

  • Quote:

    "That's what makes me so proud of Minnesota."
    — Senator Tina Smith (10:36)

• Ferguson argues they’re excusing mob intimidation and deflecting from violence.

6. City Council Member’s Claims About ICE (11:28 – 11:51)

• Minneapolis City Council Member asserts that the first murder in Minneapolis was by federal agents, and ICE is not about safety.

  • Quote:

    "If this was about safety, ICE would be out of our city."
    — Minneapolis City Council Member (11:34)

• Ferguson calls this a “disgusting lie” and accuses other Democrats of further dehumanization of ICE.

7. High-Profile Rhetoric: Invoking Hitler, Chavez, and Trump (12:52 – 12:54)

• Stacey Abrams draws parallels:

  • "Economic populism raised up Hitler in Germany. It raised up Hugo Chavez in Venezuela."
  • St. Paul Mayor:

    "And we watched it raise up Trump."
    — St. Paul Mayor (12:52)

• Ferguson denounces equating Trump and U.S. immigration enforcement with dictatorships.

8. National Politicians React: Ossoff & The Anti-ICE Movement (13:18 – 14:47)

• John Ossoff declined to condemn protests targeting churches, instead attacking those who “hunt down the refugee” and “violate the house of worship.”
  • Ferguson contends this evades the issue and aligns the Democratic Party with “Marxist socialists and communists.”

9. The Stakes for Law and Order (14:00 – 14:47)

• Ferguson concludes that Democrats are committed to undermining law enforcement and ICE, framing the 2026 election as pivotal for law and order supporters.

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Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• ICE Agent:

  "There’s a whole stack of these...as a matter of fact, when we look over the past year at the 10,000 that have been arrested here in Minneapolis and Minnesota, that stack is enormous." (04:07)

• Ben Ferguson:

  “So let's just be clear. Senator Schumer is fighting hard to keep criminals like Pao Zhang, a rapist and child molester, in the country.” (04:43)

• Chris Van Hollen:

  "Patriots...blowing whistles on the illegal tactics of ICE." (06:36)

• Senator Tina Smith:

  “Basically don’t take the bait, don’t fuel the President’s narrative...that’s what makes me so proud of Minnesota.” (10:04–10:36)

• Minneapolis City Council Member:

  "The first murder in the city of Minneapolis was perpetrated by federal agents." (11:28)

• Stacey Abrams & St. Paul Mayor:

  “Economic populism raised up Hitler in Germany...and we watched it raise up Trump.” (12:52)

• Ben Ferguson:

  “So this is the Democratic Party filled with Marxist socialists and communists who wanted to fund all law enforcement and wanted to fund ICE." (13:45)

• Closing:

  “Thank goodness Donald Trump is not giving in to the radical left. Instead, he’s holding them accountable.” (14:35)

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Conclusion & Tone

Throughout the episode, Ferguson maintains a combative, urgent tone—emphasizing what he views as dishonesty, radicalism, and hypocrisy within the Democratic Party. He positions himself as providing facts suppressed by “mainstream” outlets and encourages listeners to recognize what he considers an existential fight for American law and order.

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Suggested Listening Timestamps

• Democratic Party Fractures & ICE Debate: 00:50–02:24
• ICE Agent’s Arrest Examples: 02:24–04:43
• Democratic Politicians’ Rhetoric on ICE: 06:36–11:51
• Notable National Leaders’ Statements: 12:52–14:47

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This summary captures the episode’s major arguments, key moments, and representative quotations, providing a clear guide for those who have not listened but wish to understand its controversial and partisan content.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

[Podcast Announcer]

Friday, February 6th, kick off the Winter Olympics in style with the opening ceremony from Italy featuring a special performance by Mariah Carey. Celebrate the greatest athletes from around the globe as they come together to go for gold. The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

[Ben Ferguson]

Ilia Malinin, redefining this sport.

[Podcast Announcer]

Friday, February 6, NBC and Peacock.

[Minneapolis City Council Member]

Lay back.

[Immigration Enforcement Agent]

Immigration enforcement agents out in Minnesota keep our country safe.

[Chris Van Hollen]

We'll do whatever we can to keep our country safe.

[Immigration Enforcement Agent]

So, yeah, pulling back. No, no, not at all.

[Ben Ferguson (Host)]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[Ben Ferguson]

Good Friday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. It is a civil war in the Democratic Party right now. Democrats coming out in force trying to demonize ICE and more of them calling to abolish ICE altogether. So what are they going to do and what does President Trump have to say in response? It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.

[Ben Ferguson (Host)]

Story number one, there is anarchy in.

[Ben Ferguson]

The Democratic Party right now and they have gone to war. Not with the people that they should be going to war with the criminals who are being arrested in this country, but instead they're now going to war with ice. Now there is a civil war within the Democratic Party of their trying to decide do we just straight up be honest and say we want to abolish ICE or do we kind of lie a little bit? Now, before I get to that, I want you to hear about the arrests that have happened since yesterday in Minnesota. I want you to listen to what the federal government has put out about the arrest since yesterday as Democrats say that ICE need to get the F out of their city, the F out of their state, and there needs to be a civil war against the ICE agents. This is also coming, as the Democratic Party is saying in the future they may go out and arrest ICE agents and hold them accountable for the crimes they claim they're committing now. So who are they actually out arresting? Well, listen to this. And this is again, just since yesterday came here today.

[Immigration Enforcement Agent]

I printed out a couple of a few individuals that I'd like to share with you. Individuals that were arrested since yesterday. These three individuals were arrested just since yesterday. Keep in mind, now these individuals were walking the streets of Minneapolis with impunity as of yesterday. We've got Hovi Kumaye, a criminal, illegal alien from Laos, a registered sex offender, convicted of sex offense against a child, including fondling and failure to to register as a sex offender. This individual was walking the streets of Minneapolis just yesterday. This individual right here. It's very interesting that I haven't seen this individual or many others like him reported on very much by the local news media or the state news media. That's interesting. Let's don't quit there. No, you can't. Let's continue here. We've got Samuel Arabella Hernandez, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, charged with rape and lewd or lascivious acts with a minor. Now think about that for just a second. Rape, and then on top of that, lewd and lascivious acts of the minor. This individual is walking the streets of Minneapolis with impunity just yesterday. Let's don't quit there. Let's, let's keep on there. We've got Annabelle Gomez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, previously arrested for criminal sexual conduct and domestic assault. Other convictions include disorderly conduct and driving under the influence of liquor, walking the streets as of yesterday. These are just three. Three that I decided to print out. There's a whole stack of them. There's a whole stack of these. As a matter of fact, when we look over the past year at the 10,000 that have been arrested here in Minneapolis and Minnesota, that stack is enormous. These are the kinds of individuals this operation focuses on, individuals who escalate situations and endanger others. Again, our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues and MA and PA America. This is exactly, exactly why Interior enforcement exists, to remove dangerous criminals from our communities. Remove dangerous illegal alien criminals from our communities. It's all.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, these are the stories the left doesn't want you to know about, because this is all about a civil war. Quote, trump's politicalization of the DOJ will not deter Mayor Fry, Governor Waltz, and AG Ellison from doing their jobs to protect the people of Minnesota. I stand with them against these blatant abuse of power. So let's just be clear. Senator Schumer is fighting hard to keep criminals like Pao Zhang, a rapist and child molester, in the country. He's been convicted of sex offenses against child fondling, burglary, larceny and rape. He was arrested in Minnesota. This individual is who Chuck Schumer is defending and the Democratic Party. That's where the civil war comes in. There are other Democrats who are like, we can't say that publicly. Like, we know we want to abolish ice and we are the same party that says we want to get rid of police officers. But now, how do you actually, actually accomplish this? That is the debate they're having on tv. Now they're going back to their old playbook. Which is to demonize, dehumanize, and try to convince Americans that ICE agents are the Gestapo, that ICE agents are not crime fighters, not actually going after the worst that are out there, that are illegal immigrants, you know, the rapists and the murderers and the sex traffickers and the drug dealers. No, no, no, no. They want you to believe that somehow that is ICE and the dud are the people that broke into this country that are also committing heinous crimes. Take a listen to Chris Van Holland. This is what he had to say, is he's trying to rewrite history. And there's a theme that is happening. This is orchestrated by the Democratic Party. Listen to what he said about the deranged leftists that are impeding ICE operations and what he calls them.

[Chris Van Hollen]

One of the things that gives me great hope, even amidst all of this division and chaos sown by Donald Trump are the patriots in places like Minneapolis who are standing up, blowing whistles to protect their neighbors, blowing whistles on the illegal tactics of ice. And I was just at a rally in Hagerstown, Maryland, today. Hundreds of people coming out because ICE has signaled that they might use a facility in Hagerstown for their purposes. And people were coming out to say.

[Ben Ferguson]

No, you listen to Van Hollen. One of the things that gives me great hope are the patriots in places like Minneapolis who are standing up, blowing whistles to protect their neighbors. Now, who are they actually protecting? They are protecting the child rapists and the murderers, the worst among us that I start going out to get. And why are they having to do that? Because in Minneapolis, the local government refuses to work with ICE. There have been more than 500 people that could have been handed over to ICE that were in custody of the Minneapolis police departments. And what did they do? They let them go instead of actually holding them for ICE to be held accountable for their actions. This, again, is the Democratic Party. You take a listen to the St. Paul mayor. You may not have heard much about her compared to the mayor of Minneapolis who said, to get the F out of our city, referring to ICE agents. But she's just about as radical as he is. And I want you to hear what she said about the targeting of church members that happened over the weekend. Don Lemon, the former CNN radical, was there as well, and here's what she said. Curious how you see this.

[Podcast Announcer]

Do you think that some of those protesters may have gone beyond their First Amendment rights and going into a church like that and broke the law?

[St. Paul Mayor]

I will say that, you know, ISIS led the way in their charge of Going on to school properties and detaining people from places that should be just as well kept sacred. And so, you know, we would have, we responded the exact same way we would have at any place of worship that our PD came in. And, you know, because this is an ongoing investigation, I can't comment more than that, but I would say we would have handled this in any other way. In any other place of worship.

[Ben Ferguson]

In any other place of worship. So there's the St. Paul mayor who's done nothing about the deranged mobs that are targeting a church during their church service and then defending these far leftists and then blames ice. ICE has led the way. We responded the exact same way we would have at any place of worship. Meaning that if these radicals want to come into a church during a service and terrorize those parishioners in Minneapolis and in St. Paul, they're in favor of it. Take a listen to Democratic Senator Tina Smith refusing to answer a simple question. And the simple question is, hey, these far left anti ICE mobs, should they be targeting churches during service? Here's what the Senator had to say.

[Senator Tina Smith]

Yesterday we saw a group of protesters go into the city's church to protest a pastor that they believe is an ICE agent that is, of course, generated considerable criticism from those who say this was a desecration of a place of worship. Would you urge protesters to do more of what we're seeing here, or do you think that is counterproductive for what they're trying to achieve?

[Podcast Announcer]

So almost all of the protests and demonstrations that we've seen in Minnesota, and especially in Minneapolis and St. Paul, have been peaceful, have been nonviolent. And of course that is the right response. What all of our messages have been is basically don't take the bait, don't fuel the President's narrative, don't fuel Donald Trump's narrative that this is, that this is a dangerous place. Let's show them how we stand up for each other and stand up for our neighbors. And that's what makes me so proud of Minnesota. Right.

[Ben Ferguson]

You listen to that Democratic senator. She now says that's what makes her so proud. Almost all of the protests and demonstrations that we've seen in Minnesota have been peaceful. So she's telling you and admitting, okay, yeah, some of them have gotten completely out of hand. But we're just so proud of all these people that just keep showing up and we're just so proud that they're out there terrorizing people in church. Democratic Minneapolis City Council member telling this lie about ice. Agents. And again, this goes back to the playbook of dehumanizing and attacking ICE agents, trying to turn them into the bad guys, into the Gestapo. Remember, you have a mayor and a governor that have not only disparage ICE agents, but they've said they want a civil war and they can get the F out of their city. Well, now you've got a Democratic Minneapolis City Council member saying this.

[Minneapolis City Council Member]

Every single person in the city understands that this is not here for public safety. Right, Jake? We've had the first murder in the city of Minneapolis was perpetrated by federal agents. If this was about safety, ICE would be out of our city. And so I think we are seeing every single individual from every single corner walk of life in this city start to understand that this is not about safety and that we are trying to do something here in our city, because it's not.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay, so to be clear, that is a Democratic City Council member telling a lie to a Jake Tapper. Notice how he doesn't say a word to stop him. A disgusting lie to smear ICE agents who are already under attack while trying to arrest rapists, murderers and pedophiles. This city council member said this was just. If this was about safety, ICE would be out of our city. No, ICE is actually doing the job that you refuse to do. Minnesota Democrats are protecting the criminal illegals, just like the fraudsters who are there that have stolen countless dollars from American taxpayers. You've got deranged individuals out there just like Stacey Abrams invoking Hitler and Chavez when trying to smear President Trump. This is part of the Democratic Party, Stacey Abrams saying it this way in an interview. Listen carefully to the words she choose. Economic populism raised up Hitler in Germany. It raised up Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

[St. Paul Mayor]

And we watched it raise up Trump.

[Ben Ferguson]

And his regime right here in America. That is Stacey Abrams invoking Hitler and Chavez when smearing President Trump. Why is she allowed to say this and get away with it in her own party? Because they believe it. They are going to continue to advocate and to completely go after Donald Trump and any Republican and ICE agents and law enforcement because they do not want law and order in America. John Ossoff saying this about what is happening in Minnesota. And did he condemn the violence? Does he condemn what's happening with ICE agents? Well, here he is in his own words. I don't know, Pastor, where it is in Scripture that it says deny care to the sick, that it says take from those with the least to give to those with the most, that it says violate the house of worship to hunt down the refugee notice. He has no problem with hunting down the pastor who they think is connected to law and order. He won't condemn the far Left, the anti ICE mob that targeted a church in St. Paul during service, and instead slanders ICE for arresting criminal illegals. So this is the Democratic Party filled with Marxist socialists and communists who wanted to fund all law enforcement and wanted to fund ice. This is why every election is so important. It's also the reason why so many voted for Donald Trump because they want law and order now. Thank goodness Donald Trump is not giving in to the radical left. Instead, he's holding them accountable. And as the left continues to tell you what they believe in, I say one thing. Listen to them. This is what they believe. This is what they want for this country. This is how much they hate law enforcement when they tell you believe them. And it's our job to call them out.

[Ben Ferguson (Host)]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.