The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (Hour 2)

Episode Theme:
ICE Crackdown Intensifies in Minneapolis
Date: January 23, 2026
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Host: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show centers on the intensifying ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations in Minneapolis, the pushback from local and state Democratic officials, and clashes with protestors. The hosts challenge the mainstream narrative around these enforcement actions, discuss Democrat infighting, media disinformation techniques, and broader cultural debates. The interview with Trisha McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, provides an inside look at current enforcement efforts, challenges, and outcomes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ICE Operations in Minneapolis & Public Pushback

• Buck and Clay open with commentary on the growing resistance in Minnesota to ICE enforcement operations, including street protests and political criticism from Democrats.
• Buck describes critics as "street Communists" (00:04) intent on blocking lawful deportation operations.
• Clay and Buck mock the claims that ICE is operating as a "rogue" and "brutalizing" force, highlighting how Democrats prefer to thwart enforcement rather than offer realistic alternatives.

Notable Quote:

“The people that are complaining about how they are being done don’t want them done at all. [...] There’s a bad faith criticism going on here.”
— Buck Sexton (01:33)

• The hosts play a clip of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries criticizing ICE as "out of control" and compare this to what they see as a refusal among Democrats to support immigration law.

2. Political Discontent Amongst Democrats

• Clay references polling data to show high levels of dissatisfaction with Democratic congressional leaders—even among their own voters (04:15).
• The hosts joke about how most people don’t even know their congressional representatives, contributing to broader political malaise and low accountability.

Notable Quote:

"Most people don’t even know who their congressperson is."
— Clay Travis (05:19)

3. Celebrating Family and Population Growth

• Clay congratulates Vice President J.D. Vance on expecting a fourth child, framing family growth as a patriotic and positive act in contrast to what he describes as negative messages from the left about parenthood (06:05).
• Both hosts criticize what they see as left-wing messaging against having children, linking it to climate change alarmism.

Notable Quote:

“Having kids is the ultimate vote of confidence, in my opinion, in the future.”
— Clay Travis (07:43)

4. Climate Change, Media Narratives, and Disinformation

• Clay and Buck discuss the tendency to blame any irregular weather event on climate change and mock articles explaining away both the presence and absence of hurricanes as evidence of global warming (11:21).
• Buck explains the shift in language from "global warming" to "climate change" as a way to maintain a perpetual crisis narrative.

Notable Quote:

“Whether it goes up or goes down, it is climate disruption. And therefore it’s also known as weather.”
— Buck Sexton (12:05)

• Buck plugs his upcoming book, Manufacturing Delusion, promising readers an exposé on media brainwashing, indoctrination, and propaganda techniques, including the concept “fire hose of falsehood.”

5. Media Repetition and Narrative Entrenchment

• The hosts discuss entrenched narratives such as “hands up, don’t shoot” and false reports about Jan 6th, arguing that mass repetition cements untrue stories in the public mind (15:56).
• Buck mentions the "fire hose of falsehood" tactic as an example of this media phenomenon.

Interview: Trisha McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (19:01–29:09)

Timestamps cover main interview content.

Minneapolis ICE Operations Update

• McLaughlin confirms enforcement is ongoing, with around 3,000 illegal aliens arrested in the area (19:35).
• Details recent arrests:
  • From Mexico: convictions for criminal sexual assault, drug trafficking
  • From Laos: convicted murderer and female convicted of homicide

Notable Quote:

"These are the criminals that we’re going after...the worst of the worst."
— Trisha McLaughlin (19:35)

• She criticizes local leaders (MN Gov. Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey) for lack of cooperation, noting 1,360 criminal aliens in local custody are at risk of being released onto the streets (20:36).

The "Five-Year-Old Abandonment" Incident

• McLaughlin recounts how an illegal alien from Ecuador fleeing law enforcement abandoned his five-year-old son in the cold:
  • ICE officers cared for the child, provided food and music, and tried to return him to his mother (who refused).
  • Both father and child are now reunited in detention (20:53).

Size and Intensity of Minneapolis Operations

• ICE and CBP resources have surged in Minneapolis due to a lack of local law enforcement support and violent resistance from protesters, including assaults and obstruction.
• Contrasts Minneapolis unrest with the relative calm in Florida and Texas, crediting better state cooperation (22:16).

Notable Quotes:

"You see peace, you see calm… It really goes to show you how if there’s state and local law enforcement that will actually let us in their jails and actually give us backup... it’s a lot better for the public."
— Trisha McLaughlin (22:16)

ICE’s Role in Drop in National Murders

• McLaughlin credits DHS enforcement, including the arrest of 8,000 gang members and over 1,500 suspected terrorists in the past year, with contributing to a historic low in the U.S. murder rate (24:02).
• Encourages listeners to visit wow.dhs.gov for case transparency.

Scale of Criminal Illegal Alien Problem

• Thousands of criminal illegal aliens detained by ICE have been convicted of murder in the U.S., with hundreds "just in Minneapolis alone" (25:53-26:18).

"Thousands who have been convicted in the United States of America...hundreds plural in just Minneapolis alone."
— Trisha McLaughlin (25:35, 26:12)

Democrat Resistance & ICE Morale

• McLaughlin finds it "disheartening" that Democrat opposition is focused on protecting violent offenders from deportation.
• ICE agents face a 1000% increase in assaults, vehicle attacks, doxing, and even an 8000% rise in death threats; despite this, morale remains solid due to supportive federal leadership (27:59).

Notable Quote:

"There is a degree of ICE hysteria that the Democrats have tried to manufacture, but... they continue to put politics ahead of public safety."
— Trisha McLaughlin (26:58)

6. Listener Call-Ins & Cultural Sidebar (31:42–34:36)

• Clay takes a call from John in South Carolina about Oscar-nominated films and vampire movie recommendations.
• The hosts share a clip of a 23-year-old Somali Minnesotan describing the "banana and rice" fusion of Somali-American identity (33:26).

Memorable Moment:

"Being Somali isn't just eating bananas with rice … It’s like that combination of banana and rice."
— 23-year-old St. Paul resident (33:26)

• Show ends the hour with banter about home electronics, football, and weather preparations.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |---|---|---| | 01:33 | "The people that are complaining about how they are being done don’t want them done at all." | Buck Sexton | | 05:19 | "Most people don’t even know who their congressperson is." | Clay Travis | | 07:43 | "Having kids is the ultimate vote of confidence, in my opinion, in the future." | Clay Travis | | 12:05 | "Whether it goes up or goes down, it is climate disruption. And therefore it’s also known as weather." | Buck Sexton | | 25:35/26:12 | "Thousands who have been convicted in the United States of America... hundreds plural in just Minneapolis alone." | Trisha McLaughlin | | 27:59 | "They are facing 1,000% increase in assaults against them... but [they] know they have a president and Secretary... who actually has their back." | Trisha McLaughlin | | 33:26 | "Being Somali isn’t just eating bananas with rice ... but that's what it's like to be Somali and American." | St. Paul resident |

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:04–03:11 — ICE enforcement debate; Democrat criticism
• 04:14–05:42 — Polling, party dissatisfaction, lack of civic knowledge
• 06:00–08:09 — J.D. Vance family news and discussion of family values
• 11:17–13:16 — Climate change narratives, “Manufacturing Delusion” book tease
• 15:30–17:29 — Listener on media narrative repetition (“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”)
• 19:01–29:09 — Interview: Trisha McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security
• 31:42–34:36 — Listener calls and cultural/fun segments

Summary Flow & Tone

The conversation keeps a brisk, lively tone—skeptical of mainstream narratives and critical of Democratic public officials. The hosts blend humor, real-time fact checking (with “Grok”), and cultural commentary. The interview with Trisha McLaughlin offers direct law enforcement data, a sharp critique of political resistance to ICE, and an insider’s view on the realities of modern immigration enforcement.

This hour provides both partisan analysis and practical reporting on the ground truth of immigration operations amid America’s ongoing policy and cultural clashes.