The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3566: In the Wake of Another ICE Killing w/ Wali Khan
Date: January 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This intense episode of The Majority Report grapples with the aftermath of a high-profile ICE killing in Minneapolis, examining state violence, community response, and the political implications. Host Sam Seder is joined by guest reporter Wali Khan, who provides on-the-ground insight from Minneapolis and discusses both the chilling escalation of ICE tactics and the burgeoning resistance in affected communities. The show includes detailed analysis, eyewitness reporting, and a focus on the ways video documentation is transforming accountability.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Killing of VA ICU Nurse Alex Preddy ([03:22–11:45])

• Incident Recap:
  On Saturday morning, Alex Preddy, an ICU nurse, was shot dead by ICE agents on a residential street in Minneapolis. Footage from multiple angles quickly spread online, refuting initial DHS claims about Preddy’s actions.

  • “Preddy was a nurse caring for his community, helping a woman. And these wannabe masculine agents shoot a guy. These cowards shot him in the back as he was trying to help a woman on the street.” — Emma Vigeland ([08:36])

• Sequence of Events:

  • Preddy was filming ICE activity, trying to help a woman brutally shoved to the ground by agents.
  • He was pepper-sprayed while assisting the woman, then tackled by multiple agents.
  • As agents wrestled with him, one shouted "gun" as they discovered Preddy’s legally-owned, holstered firearm.
  • Other agents fired at least six shots into Preddy’s back.

• Video Evidence’s Impact:

  • Multiple bystander videos swiftly contradicted DHS’s official narrative, exposing the agents’ actions in real-time.
  • “By the time [Kristi Noem] got up in front of that podium to lie, there had been so many videotapes circulating … before she opened her mouth, the narrative was quite clear.” — Sam Seder ([04:11])

• Aftermath and Cover-up:

  • Agents prevented a bystander with medical training from assisting Preddy, only allowing them close after demanding credentials.
  • Instead of providing aid, agents focused on "counting the bullet holes" and searching for Preddy’s gun, even though it remained holstered.
  • “They were trying to manufacture a story so they could get their story straight.” — Sam Seder ([11:05])

2. Reaction, Political Fallout, and Patterns of ICE Violence ([13:46–29:39])

• Authoritarian Shift & Lack of Accountability:

  • The hosts discuss how ICE tactics reflect direct orders not to de-escalate, but to double down on violence and intimidation.
  • ICE agents recorded as comparing their actions to video games: “One guy shooting his gun and says, ‘This is like Call of Duty. It’s cool, right?’” — Sam Seder ([13:48, 15:21])
  • After violence, agents displayed chilling disregard: “The guy claps and then just walks away. Like, turns around like we did that. It’s stunning.” ([17:14])

• Democratic Complicity and Changing Politics:

  • Seven House Democrats voted to support increased DHS/ICE funding, despite mounting evidence of abuse.
  • “Too bad you decide to fund the ICE Gestapo instead of seeing right … what was right in front of your face.” — Emma Vigeland ([19:25])

3. On-the-Ground Report from Wali Khan ([26:29–53:58])

Tear Gas, Reporter Targeting, and Rapid Response

• Tear Gas Against Protesters & Journalists:

  • Wali Kahn recounts being hit by tear gas outside the Whipple Federal Building, a routine event during protests.
  • “ICE agents outnumber the number of protesters … They came out, tear gassed a bunch of people, pepper sprayed pepper balled people … and put [us] in extreme danger.” — Wali Khan ([27:59])

• Protest and ICE ‘Operations’:

  • ICE operations are described as chaotic citywide occupations, with agents using forceful and deceptive tactics.
  • Anyone in the vicinity risks being labeled as “impeding an operation,” including journalists and community members simply observing.

• Database and Surveillance of Journalists and Citizens:

  • Khan describes ICE building databases of everyone witnessed documenting or following them—captured on video in both Maine and Minnesota.
  • “We have a nice little database. Oh, good. And now you’re considered domestic terrorists.” — ICE agent ([35:04])

Community Resistance and the Minneapolis Context

• Mass Mobilization:

  • Over 50,000 people protested as part of a general strike, with robust rapid-response networks providing real-time monitoring and community defense.
  • These networks, built from the 2020 uprising, employ decentralized tactics: following ICE vehicles, patrolling schools, and sharing intelligence.

• Unique Dynamics in Minneapolis:

  • The city’s geography, racial history, and activism infrastructure make it particularly prone to both occupation and resistance.
  • “Minneapolis just can’t catch a fucking break. The fact that Renee Goode was killed so close to where George Floyd was murdered—there’s so much anger that still lingers over that.” — Wali Khan ([41:54])
  • “More than 90% of Somalis in Minneapolis are citizens. So even from a numbers perspective, the federal enforcement is so brazen.” — Wali Khan ([42:23])

• ICE Outside Schools & Community Fear:

  • Agents are routinely stationing unmarked vehicles outside schools and parks, leading parents to keep children home.
  • “It’s masked men, unidentified men, stationed outside of schools and kidnapping children ... from the party that says they care about protecting children.” — Emma Vigeland ([49:09])

Limits of Reform and Bleak Outlook

• Growing Normalization of Abusive Tactics:
  • Khan warns these abuses may continue for years, regardless of midterm elections or increased “training” funds.
  • “ICE is doing exactly what they were designed to do. There’s no amount of training, those seven Democrats who voted for more funding for ICE for training or whatever—it’s so ham-fisted, so brain dead. We can’t vote this out.” — Wali Khan ([52:31])

4. Broader Patterns, the General Strike & Systemic Links ([54:01–59:38])

• Images and Sound of Mass Mobilization:

  • The show shares drone footage and on-the-ground audio of Minneapolis’s major general strike and protests amid freezing temperatures.

• Connection of Immigration Policy, White Supremacy, and Class:

  • Emma Vigeland articulates how the struggles are inherently linked:
    • “White supremacy and capitalism are intrinsically linked, too … Our systems of economic domination are similarly systems of racial and ethnic supremacy ... In this instance, it’s immigration law.” ([58:13])

5. Detention Camp Conditions and Ongoing Atrocities ([62:42–67:01])

• Accounts of Abuse in ICE Detention:

  • The hosts discuss recent footage and testimony from inside ICE facilities, describing torture-like conditions—freezing temps, starvation, and psychological abuse meant to break detainees.
  • “They are picking up people who are in-process … shoving them into concentration camps … as a game of attrition so they can get these people to say, ‘You know what? I give up any rights I have to the process I’m already engaged in.’” — Sam Seder ([64:34])

• Harrowing Listener Testimonies:

  • Sam reads a listener letter detailing local children traumatized by ICE presence, families torn apart overnight, and parents unable to send their children to school out of fear ([67:55]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The reason they brutalized Preddy and the reason they brutalized the woman in that video was because they were filming them.” — Emma Vigeland ([06:52])
• “They're pretending this is law enforcement when they're acting like the mafia. Actually, the mafia probably has more rules.” — Sam Seder ([15:12])
• “We have a nice little database. Oh, good. And now you’re considered domestic terrorists.” — ICE agent caught on video ([35:04])
• “Minneapolis just can’t catch a fucking break … There’s so much spectacle that I think people can’t look away.” — Wali Khan ([41:54])
• “ICE is doing exactly what they were designed to do. There’s no amount of training, there’s no amount of, ‘Oh, we just need more oversight’ … We can’t vote this out.” — Wali Khan ([52:31])
• “White supremacy and capitalism are intrinsically linked … and the systems of economic domination are similarly the systems of racial and ethnic supremacy … In this instance, it’s immigration law.” — Emma Vigeland ([58:13])
• Listener from Minnesota:
  “Our seven year old son … came home and told us, ‘If ICE comes to my school, I will protect my cousin … because she has more life to live.’” ([67:55])

Important Timestamps

• 03:22: Recap of Alex Preddy’s shooting; beginning of in-depth analysis
• 04:11: The role of bystander video in disproving official narratives
• 06:39–08:36: Discussion of Preddy’s actions, ICE’s violence, and video evidence
• 11:04: Cover-up efforts by ICE post-shooting
• 13:46–15:15: ICE agents’ apparent enjoyment and disregard for violence
• 19:25: Naming complicit House Democrats in ICE funding
• 26:29: Start of Wali Khan interview—tear gas, protester/journalist targeting
• 27:59: ICE tactics outside federal building, “less lethal” munitions
• 34:57–35:19: ICE agent caught discussing database of citizens, labeling them "domestic terrorists"
• 41:54: Minneapolis context and historical trauma
• 49:48: ICE presence at schools and effect on families
• 52:31: Khan on the futility of reform, normalization of abuses
• 54:01–54:49: Footage and reflection on the Minneapolis general strike
• 58:13: Connection between immigration abuse, white supremacy, and class conflict
• 64:34–65:15: ICE’s abuse of detainees—work permits, pending cases, torture camp conditions
• 67:55: Listener testimony on family and neighborhood impacts

Episode Tone & Language

The episode’s tone is urgent, outraged, and deeply empathetic. Hosts maintain their trademark mix of irreverence, analytical rigor, and emotional candor, often employing dark humor and blunt language reflecting the severity of current events. Wali Khan’s segments are journalistically precise but carry a palpable sense of danger and vulnerability.

For Further Information

• Follow Wali Khan on Instagram for on-the-ground footage and reporting.
• Check out referenced drone and protest footage for visuals of the scale of Minneapolis mobilization.
• Stay informed on continued Congressional votes and local resistance actions nationwide.

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