The Ben Shapiro Show – Ep. 2356

Title: Democrats Seek Illegal Immigrant JAILBREAK In Response To ICE Shootings?!
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the escalating conflict between the Trump administration and leading Democrats following a series of controversial ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) shootings in Minneapolis. Ben Shapiro argues that, while Trump is adjusting strategies to deescalate tensions and respond to backlash, Democrats are pursuing radical changes that would, in his view, undermine federal immigration law enforcement. The conversation expands to include the roles of key political figures, proposals for restricting ICE, the influence of celebrity and activist culture, the intersection of voter law transparency, and pressing national and international developments.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump Administration’s ICE PR Crisis and Response

• Background: Recent ICE/BP shootings of protesters in Minneapolis led to intense controversy and damaged Trump's poll numbers on ICE operations (05:30).
• Demoted Official: Trump demoted Gregory Bevino (Border Patrol lead in Minneapolis) for public relations “blunders,” promoting Tom Homan—a move Ben sees as professionalizing the response (08:15).
• Quote:

  “You make little changes. You know, Bevino is very good, but he's a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases that's good. Maybe it wasn't good here.” – Ben Shapiro referencing Trump’s stance (10:10).

• Trump’s Stance: Trump seeks “an honorable and honest investigation” into the shootings, particularly of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy (06:44).

2. Defining Protest vs. Obstruction

• Ben’s Argument: Drawing a sharp line, Ben claims protest crosses into obstruction when it impedes law enforcement, specifically ICE’s legal duties (11:35).
• Examples:
  • Renee Goode using a car to block ICE—called “obstruction of federal law.”
  • Alex Preddy’s antagonism and physical altercations with law enforcement prior to death.

3. Democratic Political Response & Proposed Policies

• State & Local Defiance:

  • Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz double down on refusing to cooperate with ICE (43:22).
    • Frey’s Statement: “I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws…” (46:30).
  • Attorney General Keith Ellison suggests the possibility of prosecuting ICE officers (51:40).

• National Level Dems:

  • Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro calls for ICE’s mission to be terminated:

    “It is clear that the mission needs to be terminated immediately. Period. Hard stop.” (52:50)

  • Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner vows to “hunt down ICE agents” (54:12).
  • Democrats in Congress push for:
    • Judicial warrants for every ICE arrest (55:05)
    • Greater restrictions and oversight on ICE operations

• Critical Analysis:
  Ben criticizes these proposals as a “massive overreach” that could cripple enforcement, warning:

  “If we need a judicial warrant for every arrest, we would have maybe 15 arrests in a year in his city.” (57:44, quoting ICE contact via Fox’s Bill Milligan)

4. Political Backlash and the ‘Pedal to the Metal’ Overreach

• Ben’s Theory: Both parties overreach when they sense political momentum. He predicts Democrats will generate backlash by “snatching political defeat from the jaws of victory” through extreme anti-ICE stances (01:01:20).

5. Celebrity and Media Activism Against ICE

• Celebrity Influence:

  • Katy Perry urges blocking ICE funding on Instagram (01:11:15).
  • Natalie Portman (“never been sadder to be an American”), Olivia Wilde (calls ICE “a criminal organization”), and Ethan Hawke (claims “there’s fear in the air”) speak out (01:12:40–01:14:00).
  • Ben dismisses their rhetoric as out of touch with reality and influential mostly within elite circles.

• Media/Podcast Quotes:

  • Scott Galloway: “There should be something equivalent to the Nuremberg trial…” for ICE officials (01:08:35).
  • Kara Swisher: Stephen Miller “should be jailed,” likening him to Nazi figures (01:09:50).

6. Federal Push for Voter Roll Transparency and State Resistance

• Conflict in Minnesota:
  • The DOJ requests access to voter rolls after ICE shootings; state Dems push back, arguing privacy concerns (01:17:00).
  • Rep. Ilhan Omar claims the fight is about “rigging elections,” which Ben rebuts:

  “How...do you get from point A voter rolls to point B rigging elections? The answer is, you don’t. It’s all political nonsense.” (01:20:05)

7. Scrutiny Over Ilhan Omar’s Financials

• Context: Trump and Rep. James Comer allege Omar & her husband’s wealth is suspicious (assets reportedly jumped from <$200k to $6–30 million in one year) (01:22:20).
• Ongoing Investigations: The couple’s financial ties, including to a seemingly defunct California winery, are under intense media and Congressional scrutiny.

8. Town Hall Attack on Ilhan Omar

• Incident: At a Minneapolis town hall, a man attacked Omar with a spray substance (01:27:50).
  • Ben condemns all violence against politicians, regardless of party:

    “Doesn't matter whether it's right or whether it's left. Physical altercations...is not an American thing. It is not. Do not do this.” (01:29:25)

9. Broader Foreign Policy – Iran and Middle East

• Escalation with Iran:
  • Trump signals potential military action after regime’s deadly crackdowns on protestors.
  • Quote:

    “A massive armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly with great power, enthusiasm and purpose... Hopefully, Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal.” – Reading Trump’s Truth Social post (01:34:40)

  • Ben rejects the “wag the dog” narrative of a distraction war, seeing this as Trump acting on previous promises.
• Saudi/Turkey Dynamics: Updates on shifting Middle East alliances, with Saudi Arabia moving away from U.S./Israel to cooperate more with Turkey, motivated by fears of regime change in Iran (01:41:25).

10. Economic Segment: Amazon Layoffs and Federal Reserve Critique

• Amazon Cuts: 16,000 more layoffs, partly attributed to AI efficiencies (01:46:20).
• Monetary Policy Critique:
  • Ben summarizes David Malpass’s argument from the WSJ that the Fed should focus on dollar stability rather than juggling inflation and unemployment (“sound money, stable dollar”).
  • Advocates for supply-side growth and sees Fed’s models as flawed (01:48:30).

11. Healthcare Updates

• Medicare Reimbursement Rate Freeze: Trump admin chooses not to increase rates, affecting insurance companies and possibly patient coverage (01:51:40).
• Media/Health Partnership: Barry Weiss at CBS to bring on science podcaster Andrew Huberman, stirring controversy among traditional media.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Minneapolis ICE Fallout:

  “The evidence is very scanty that [Alex Preddy] was attempting to massacre law enforcement. President Trump knows that.” – Ben Shapiro (07:45)

• On Democratic Strategy:

  “Democrats are now demanding judicial warrants for all ICE arrests…that would cripple any hopes of mass deportations or widespread immigration enforcement.” – Ben (56:18)

• On Obstruction, Not Protest:

  “If you’re Alex Preddy and you’re getting in the way of ICE being able to do its job, that is not a protest. That is an obstruction of federal law.” – Ben (11:45)

• On Celebrity Outrage:

  “The musings of actors mean very little, but they do mean a lot in sort of democratic upper echelon circles.” – Ben (01:13:00)

• On Ilhan Omar’s Wealth:

  “That is a massive jump in valuation. So something is going on pretty clearly.” – Ben (01:23:30)

• On Attack Against Omar:

  “We’re lucky as a country that this person was spraying a substance and not bullets.” – Ben (01:29:40)

• On Middle East Realignment:

  “Saudi, I thought, had a shot at modernization. But…the more they try to stop the burgeoning peace… the worse things are going to get for the Saudi regime…” – Ben (01:44:10)

Key Timestamps for Segments

• 05:30: ICE shootings in Minneapolis and administration’s PR problem
• 08:15: Demotion of Gregory Bevino; Tom Homan’s appointment
• 11:35–12:00: Protest vs. obstruction distinction
• 43:22–46:30: Statements from Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz on non-cooperation with ICE
• 51:40: Keith Ellison on prosecuting ICE officers
• 55:05–57:44: Dems’ push for judicial warrants and implications on ICE operations
• 01:08:35: Scott Galloway’s Nuremberg trial remarks
• 01:11:15–01:14:00: Celebrity activism (Katy Perry, Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Ethan Hawke)
• 01:17:00–01:20:05: Voter roll transparency disputes
• 01:22:20: Ilhan Omar financial investigation details
• 01:27:50–01:29:40: Attack on Ilhan Omar at town hall
• 01:34:40: Trump’s threats of military action against Iran
• 01:46:20: Amazon layoffs and impact of AI
• 01:48:30: Federal Reserve policy critique
• 01:51:40: Medicare reimbursement rate issue and insurance fallout

Takeaways

• The Trump admin is recalibrating its response to immigration enforcement controversy by swapping out controversial figures and advocating for investigations.
• Democrats, sensing political opportunity, are pushing for restrictions on ICE that Ben argues would effectively nullify federal immigration enforcement and alienate moderates.
• Celebrity and activist rhetoric is adding fuel to political polarization on immigration.
• Disputes over transparency in voter rolls, scrutiny on prominent progressive politicians, and flashpoints of violence punctuate the national discourse.
• Foreign policy, economic shifts, and the health care landscape remain pressing backdrops to the immigration debate.

[End of Summary]