The Bulwark Podcast

Episode: "Will Stancil: The Heroes of Minneapolis"

Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Will Stancil

Episode Overview

This episode of The Bulwark Podcast features Tim Miller in conversation with Will Stancil, a Minneapolis-based attorney, activist, and social media commentator. The primary focus is the ongoing civil disobedience and community response in Minneapolis to aggressive ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) tactics, including the formation of grassroots rapid response networks aimed at monitoring and intervening in ICE activities. Stancil shares on-the-ground insights from Minneapolis, details the strategies being used to protect vulnerable residents, and discusses the broader political and social ramifications of these efforts. The episode also covers Stancil's viral moments in internet culture, the dangers and ethical dilemmas of activist work, and concludes with a discussion about campaign messaging within the Democratic party.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Stancil’s Background and Entrance to Activism (02:07–04:26)

• Who is Will Stancil:
  A civil rights and housing attorney based in Minneapolis, Stancil describes himself as “pretty fanatically fixated on the threat posed by Trump and all his minions.”
  Quote:

  “I’ve been fairly convinced from day one that Trump is by all practical considerations a fascist and an authoritarian.”
  — Will Stancil [03:41]

2. ICE Tactics and The "Commuters" Movement (04:52–08:56)

• Community Observer Network:
  Minneapolis residents have created rapid-response Signal chats to track and follow ICE agents, alerting neighbors and showing up en masse during immigration raids to document and intervene.

• Stancil’s Role ("Commuting"):
  Stancil describes his main tactic: following suspected ICE vehicles, filming agents, and calling attention to their activities, sometimes resulting in convoys being chased out of neighborhoods by crowds.

• Goal:

  1. To document abductions, get names for legal aid, and create a public record.
  2. To deter ICE violence and secrecy by sheer presence.

  Quote:

  “You get 10 more cars, and they just get swarmed and basically followed out of town. It has proven relatively effective, I think, at restraining them, although it has certainly not stopped them.”
  — Will Stancil [04:59]

  Stark Description:

  “This isn’t like a police stop... in a Wagoneer, two masked men jump out... grab the person... carried struggling into the back of the SUV... the whole thing can last 60 seconds... If you didn’t know they didn’t have uniforms, you’d think it’s a kidnapping.”
  — Will Stancil [07:36]

3. Confronting Moral and Physical Risks (09:46–12:19)

• Effectiveness and Ethical Pushback:
  Miller plays “devil’s advocate” by questioning the value of these actions; Stancil firmly rebuts, emphasizing that ICE’s tactics have always been violent and secretive, and that without witnesses, detainees can simply “disappear.”

• Consequences:
  ICE has threatened observers directly, including at their homes, and participants accept risks from both law enforcement and far-right actors.

  Quote:

  “When you see that, and that’s on your conscience... You could have been there a few seconds earlier. You could have gotten his name. You could have helped get him a lawyer... It’s very, very hard to want to let these guys operate in secret.”
  — Will Stancil [12:19]

4. The Impact of Civil Disobedience and Public Documentation (15:16–17:19)

• The Economist's Perspective:
  The community action has been cited as one of the most significant civil disobedience efforts since the civil rights era.

• Media’s Role:
  Disputes exist within activist circles about involving press, stemming from fears of reprisal, but Stancil believes publicity is vital for public opinion and safety.

  Quote:

  “The first purpose is to get the names of the people abducted... The second goal here is just to make a record for the public.”
  — Will Stancil [15:16]

5. Risks and Escalation (17:19–22:36)

• Personal Danger:
  Confrontations with ICE have resulted in violence against activists (beatings, pepper spray, shootings). Stancil recounts the executions of Alex Brady and Renee Goode by law enforcement and warns others to avoid appearing confrontational or armed.

• Recent Trends:
  A shift from overt military-style shows of force to a more “secret police”-style riding in unmarked cars. Aggression towards observers has not diminished and may have increased.

  Quote:

  “These men are quite violent... Even when they are well-trained, they’re heavily armed. There’s always the possibility that this could escalate...”
  — Will Stancil [17:33]

6. Community Tensions and Protest Dynamics (19:57–22:36)

• Internal Schisms:
  Miller flags concerns with activists adopting “papers please” checkpoint behaviors or erecting barricades, which Stancil characterizes as “pretty excessive.”

• Movement’s Strengths:
  Stancil emphasizes the mass appeal lies in ordinary people acting to protect their neighbors, not in radical or violent actions.

  Quote:

  “Part of why we have such a massive buy-in from the community... is that we are restricting ourselves to things that are legal and constitutional.”
  — Will Stancil [20:33]

7. Unheralded Heroes: Everyday Mutual Aid (24:44–26:44)

• Hidden Networks:
  Thousands of residents (often not politically active) are delivering food, school supplies, and essentials to families in hiding, especially as many people of color are afraid to leave their homes due to ICE presence.

  Quote:

  “In some ways, they are almost the most heroic of all of the people here because they are doing this kind of selfless work just to keep their neighbors fed and supported.”
  — Will Stancil [24:44]

8. Why Local Solidarity Trumps ICE Tactics (26:44–27:44)

• The Failure of ICE’s Assumptions:
  ICE and hardliners assumed non-white/immigrant communities wouldn’t get support. The response has proven otherwise, and alliances have formed across political and ethnic lines.

  Quote:

  “It turns out that not only do we have [bonds of community], but they’re so much more powerful than ICE ever expected.”
  — Will Stancil [26:44]

9. The Symbolic Power of Masking (29:01–30:10)

• On Masked ICE Agents:
  Miller and Stancil discuss the unnerving spectacle of masked, heavily armed agents, contrasting it with the isolating aspects of pandemic-era masking and how anonymity breeds fear.

  Quote:

  “There’s something disturbing about a bunch of men unloading from a black SUV who are all heavily masked... It looks like a street gang... It leaves you shocked.”
  — Will Stancil [29:01]

10. Local Government & Institutional Pushback (30:10–32:11)

• Prosecutors Resigning:
  U.S. attorneys in Minnesota have quit en masse, unwilling to support what they see as “retributive campaigns.”

• Law Enforcement’s Reluctance:
  Even local police tend to “look the other way” when it comes to residents monitoring ICE.

  Quote:

  “It’s hard to put into words the unanimity of opposition to ICE in Minneapolis especially, but really across the Twin Cities and a lot of Minnesota.”
  — Will Stancil [30:47]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Community Defense:
  “It just goes deeper than any political ideology... our sense is that our job is to protect our neighbors.”
  — Will Stancil [26:44]

• On ICE’s Impact:
  “Our school system is more or less in a state of collapse right now. It’s kin to Covid. It’s a disaster.”
  — Will Stancil [24:44]

• On the Power of Observers:
  “If you are not behind them at every minute, they may jump out and grab someone, and that person will disappear.”
  — Will Stancil [10:13]

Deep Dive: Stancil’s Internet Persona & Recent Controversies (33:15–42:13)

11. Internet Virality & Harassment (33:15–41:08)

• Economic "Vibecession":
  Stancil stands by his past assertions that economic narratives are driven by digital pessimism more than reality.
  “I think it’s largely the phones... what sells on social media... is gloom and doom.” [35:13]
• Far-Right Attacks:
  Stancil discusses being targeted by Elon Musk’s GROK AI (which produced violent, offensive content about him after safety restrictions were lifted), and the subsequent proliferation of neo-Nazi cartoons featuring him, enabled by social media platforms. “I live in constant fear that these Internet versions of me will leak into my real life.” [41:08]

Final Reflections & Political Sidebar

12. Political Messaging vs. Identity Wars (42:13–61:17)

• Development in Minnesota Politics:
  Quick take on the state’s Democratic Senate primary; Stancil favors Peggy Flanagan as having a clearer anti-ICE stance.
• Miller’s Rant on Texas Senate Race:
  Miller critiques the Democratic primary discourse for focusing excessively on identity-based grievances, to the detriment of policy argumentation and broader voter appeal.

  “Does anybody really think that like James Talarico was intentionally trying to be racist and denigrate people? There are a lot of fucking racists out there right now... Let's maybe focus on the actual racists... This is an important Senate race...”
  — Tim Miller [52:46]

Additional Timestamps

• What is "commuting"? [04:59–07:27]
• Relationship with local press & government risk: [15:53–17:19]
• Discussing mutual-aid networks: [24:44–26:44]
• Effects on local schools and families: [24:44–26:09]
• Shift from military-style to secret police ICE presence: [19:08–19:57]
• Experiences with digital harassment: [35:38–41:08]
• Political news section and closing rant: [42:13–61:17]

Overall Tone

• Candid, impassioned, reflective: Both host and guest are frank about the gravity and sometimes trauma of the situation, alternating between gallows humor and sober warnings.
• Community-focused: Emphasis on ordinary people stepping up as "heroes" through collective action and solidarity.
• Wary optimism: Despite personal and collective costs, there’s a throughline of hope and resolve in standing against authoritarian tactics.

Key Takeaways

• Grassroots Monitoring Can Impact Policy: Even if ICE operations have not ceased, mass observation, documentation, and rapid response teams have at minimum restrained the worst abuses and forced a national conversation.
• Solidarity Cuts Across Race and Politics: The community’s response in Minneapolis demonstrates the enduring American civic norm of neighborliness over official divides.
• The Digital and Physical Worlds Collide: Activists face harassment not only from government officials but also from online far-right actors, demonstrating the new dangers of twenty-first century civil resistance.
• Political Messaging Matters: The episode ends with a plea to focus on real issues and policy, not internecine drama, especially in swing states.

For listeners: If you want a front-row seat to grassroots resistance, community resilience, and the new face of civil disobedience in America, this episode gives both heart and hard truths.