The Find Out Podcast

Episode: “Why ICE Picked the Wrong City to Invade”

Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Rich (filling in for Tim)
Guest: Anna Connolly (Content Creator, Activist)
Other Panelists: Regular co-hosts (B and C)

Overview

This episode of The Find Out Podcast takes a close and emotionally charged look at the devastating impact of the Trump administration’s aggressive ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Guest Anna Connolly—a Minneapolis-based content creator whose satirical skits dissect the logic of MAGA family members—shares personal insights, on-the-ground experiences, and reflections on how her city has responded to the “occupation.” The hosts and guest analyze both the tactical failure and the unintended consequences for the far-right, discuss viral moments, and wrestle with themes of optimism, trauma, and solidarity in the face of modern American authoritarianism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Anna Connolly & the Minneapolis ICE Situation

• Rich introduces Anna for her viral dual-character videos depicting conversations between “sane person” and intrusive MAGA relatives.
• Anna explains she’s become a key voice documenting and contextualizing the ICE crackdown in Minneapolis, a city that’s been thrust back into national headlines (02:15).

Rich: “She…gives us a really good glimpse and helps control the narrative in the battle between ICE and Minnesota.” (02:15)

2. Living Under ICE: Chaos, Surveillance, and Community Defense

• Atmosphere in Minneapolis: Feels “like pandemic again—just weird vibes,” Anna describes, noting pockets of calm versus neighborhoods witnessing ICE agents “running through your yard” (03:37–04:54).
• Schools Under Siege: Parent volunteers and teachers attempt to protect children, literally forming lines or camping out in cars as lookouts (05:01–07:21).
• Direct Impacts: Teachers arrested, families torn apart, legitimate residents living in fear, even those clearly “legal” or born in the US but with brown skin.
• Racism in Real Life: Anna recounts friends’ terror (“has not been to a restaurant since October…I’m terrified…because also, how do I prove…?”), illustrating climate of arbitrary, racially-motivated detentions (06:35).

Anna: “In our daycare…parent volunteers are like protecting the school during the day and it’s just fucking insane.” (03:37)

3. ICE’s Tactics & Community Resilience

• Reports of ICE using covert, borderline-illegal tactics—switching license plates to avoid being tracked. Community organizers track these agents but are often stonewalled (09:07).
• Viral videos, like Rachel Cohen confronting notorious ICE agent Greg Bovino, highlight both community courage and the performative, almost cosplay Nazi-style mannerisms of certain ICE officials (09:34–10:21).

Rich: “He embraced the Nazi cosplay way too eagerly...walking down the middle of a street, flanked by all these douchebags with the trench coat...dude, you know exactly what you look like right now. And you think it’s like the coolest thing.” (10:21)

4. Why Minneapolis Was the Wrong Target for ICE

• City’s History: Holdover from the George Floyd movement (“we’re very good at protesting, even in negative 45 degrees”), making it a locus for activism and national attention (11:23).
• Community’s response has effectively shamed and pushed back on the worst excesses—“I’m actually so glad they came to Minneapolis … why would you want to fuck with those people?” (11:23)

5. Media, Virality, & Propaganda Wars

• Role of Social Media: Anna and panelists discuss how TikTok and other platforms—via grassroots creators—outpace even regime media and legacy press in getting the real story out.
• Uncontrollable Narrative: When state violence or notorious acts happen (e.g., shootings of activists like Alex Preddy, or MAGA figure Charlie Kirk), the videos go instantly viral, making narrative control impossible for the administration (18:14–20:00).

Rich: “They can’t control the narrative…they can’t keep me from seeing Alex Preddy get shot…there’s no control over it because it’s all just out there.” (18:14)

• Discussion of the emotional/mental toll of witnessing such violence so frequently. Anna and the team swap “coping” tips, including EMDR therapy and Tetris for trauma (21:31–25:10).

6. Satire as Resistance: The Art and Struggle of Content Creation

• Anna explains her “MAGA muse” comes from real-life family and acquaintances, and describes the evolution from exchange of ideas (“actual politics back then”) to outright hostility—commenting on the futility and sadness at seeing acquaintances dismiss even the gravest abuses as “mistakes” (26:17–29:12).

Anna: “You ask, what about these people who are being murdered…wrongfully detained…‘Mistakes are gonna happen.’” (28:52)

• The hosts and Anna reflect on the unpredictability and impact of viral moments—how off-the-cuff videos crush hours of scripting, and the strange experience of being emotionally invested in their work (14:36–17:16).

7. Systemic Racism and the Mythology of “Legal” Immigration

• Anna recounts direct community impacts: teachers with visas forcibly detained, parents unable to work or pay rent, students supporting their families as the only citizens—all illustrating the profound disruption of generational wealth and stability for immigrant communities (35:21–40:38).

Anna: “Parents raised…money for legal fees to bail out people who are here legally…people losing jobs…just makes me even angrier…blatant racism that they just can’t see.” (37:20)

8. Broader Political Analysis: Authoritarianism, Fascism, and History

• Analysis that the ICE campaign targets blue states disproportionately, as confirmed by electoral map overlays.
• Trump’s regime is no longer hiding behind economic arguments (“they’re not even making those arguments now…just doing things for nefarious reasons”) (32:43–34:56).
• The hosts look to history—post-WWII Germany, for instance—to find possible optimism, noting that systemic collapse often precedes progress but at high human cost (31:50–32:43).

9. Coping with Modern Authoritarianism & Cult Mentality

• The conversation delves deeper into why supporters tolerate or support such policies, referencing cult psychology:
  • Fear as a driver
  • Lack of empathy for consequences
  • Society “stands for what it tolerates” (42:25–44:54)

Anna: “You can’t relate to [that level of hate], so…‘nobody would ever do that’—well, no, you wouldn’t…but the people you support would.” (42:06)

10. Optimism, Parenting in Dark Times, and Coping Mechanisms

• Anna shares both the privilege and guilt of being able to send her “little white blond, blue-eyed” daughter anywhere freely, while other parents can’t let their kids leave home.
• Teachers are forced to “hide in their attics,” creating a surreal, traumatic environment for children and staff alike (39:21).

11. Audience Q&A and Personal Reflections (45:36–53:40)

• Personalities lighten the tone with rapid-fire questions:
  • Which creator/author would Anna pick if stranded?
  • Dealing with hateful DMs vs. praise
  • Morbid hypotheticals (freezing vs. volcano, piglets vs. shark)
• Anna offers honest answers, punctuated with self-deprecation and camaraderie.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Minneapolis activism:
  Anna: “George Floyd was a global movement started in Minneapolis…us being the testing ground is so fucking funny…why would you want to fuck with those people?” (11:23)
• On ICE and racism:
  Anna: “My friend…has white parents…has never been to Columbia other than her birth. She has not been to a restaurant since October. She was like, ‘I’m terrified…because how do I prove I belong?’” (06:35)
• On coping with trauma:
  Rich: “My therapist…if you repeat how you feel and how you want to feel…you’re basically simulating REM sleep…your brain compartmentalizes memories…haven’t had really bad anxiety since.” (24:32)
• On the power of virality against propaganda:
  Rich: “Look at the times when it matters most—they can’t control shit…can’t control the narrative when they’re doing bad things.” (18:14)
• On Trumpian authoritarianism:
  Anna: “[Trump’s people]…are just bad humans. And a lot of it is, in my muses, this: ‘Well, mistakes are going to be made.’ ...They’re just not a good person.” (28:50)
• On culture and cults:
  Anna: “Do you guys read much on cult behaviors?...I think it is so fascinating…that is what this is.” (43:49)
• On optimism and history:
  Anna: “If you’re a fan of history, you’re a little bit more optimistic…look at Germany…they have an extremely educated population now…they’re not going back.” (31:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:15] – Anna's introduction and background
• [03:37] – Daily life in Minneapolis: ICE presence, parent volunteers, community defense
• [05:01] – Specifics on school protections and direct ICE encounters
• [06:35] – Racism: Residents in fear despite legal status
• [09:07] – ICE’s covert tactics; surveillance/counter-surveillance
• [10:21] – Notorious ICE agents and the public’s viral resistance
• [11:23] – Why ICE failed in Minneapolis (activism and solidarity)
• [14:36] – Virality, content creation, and the unpredictable impact of media
• [17:16] – The emotional cost of going viral, trauma, and coping strategies
• [21:31] – Trauma, Tetris, and EMDR: coping with repeated exposure to violence
• [26:17] – Anna’s creative process: satire born from real MAGA interactions
• [35:21] – Economic impacts: detained teachers, family instability, loss of jobs/homes
• [42:06] – The psychology of hate, leadership, and apathy
• [43:49] – The cult mindset: fear, safety, and susceptibility to authoritarianism
• [45:36] – Q&A/lightning round: personal life, favorite creators, and dark humor
• [51:19] – Absurd “would you rather”-style death hypotheticals and comic relief

Tone & Language

The episode is irreverent, sharp-witted, and often veers into gallows humor, but always maintains a fundamental seriousness about the stakes. Anna’s voice is earnest, angry, and darkly funny; the hosts balance humor with moral and political urgency, and the pacing swings nimbly between storytelling, political breakdown, and group commiseration.

Takeaways

• Minneapolis stands as a potent symbol of resistance—ICE picked the wrong city because of its history, organization, and viral storytelling power.
• The trauma and fear inflicted by ICE raids has far-reaching, multigenerational effects, even for legal or citizen residents—emphasizing the racial motivations behind the policy.
• Social media and independent creators have shifted the balance of narrative power, making state propaganda less effective.
• The challenge for those in the resistance is ongoing: coping with trauma, keeping the nation’s attention, and transforming the current horrors into long-term progress.
• Despite it all, community, creative resistance, and even humor remain vital weapons.

“We can’t have the news pull out, because suddenly they could do anything in here.”
— Anna Connolly ([08:28])*

End of episode summary