Podcast Summary: The Matt Walsh Show

Episode 1716 – "We Infiltrated Private Anti-ICE Groups. This Is What We Found"
Host: Matt Walsh
Date: January 13, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh delivers an exposé on the organization and funding of anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) groups, focusing specifically on "Defend the 612" in Minnesota. Through undercover work by his producers, Walsh explores the tactics, structure, and financial backing of such groups, making claims of widespread criminal activity, governmental and nonprofit funding, and broader implications about progressive activism. He also addresses cultural trends like older single motherhood via IVF and questions global population figures, before transitioning into critiques of identity politics surrounding black women in public discourse.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Organization and Tactics of Anti-ICE Groups

[00:00 – 24:00]

• Anti-ICE Agitators: Walsh describes activists as leftist radicals coordinated to disrupt ICE operations countrywide, especially in Minnesota.
• Undercover Investigation: Producers joined private chats and Facebook groups (such as Defend the 612) to observe and collect evidence of organization and tactics.
• Noteworthy Description: Walsh refers to participants with dismissive language, blending derision with serious allegations:
  “Every army needs a general after all. And that's particularly true when the army mostly consists of overweight, dead eyed women hooked on SSRIs along with gay men and 68 IQ Somalis.” [02:30]
• Prominent Political Support: Minnesota politicians like Council President Elliott Payne and State Sen. Dawn Clark publicly encouraged group membership, offering advice for obstructing ICE.

Tactics & Procedures:

• Patrol Handbook: Detailed, sometimes contradictory instructions; openly encourages obstructing ICE, as well as explicit suggestions for illegal activity, including lying to emergency services (swatting).

  • Quote: "For ICE agents...lay on your horn and honk at them, or gather as many people as possible to whistle and yell at them to chase them out. Form a crowd and be as loud as your commitment is to your people and get them out of here.” [09:30]
  • Guidance on what to tell 911, avoiding the word "ICE," and making up threats to prompt police response.

• “SALUTE” System & Dispatch Protocol:

  • Acronym-based reporting for ICE sightings: number, activity, location, etc.
  • DIY dispatch: Crowd-sourced license plate checks against a list of suspected ICE vehicles; flight tracking chats.

• Example Incident:

  • Workers at a Minneapolis restaurant (Earl Giles) believed ICE agents were on site, led to staff barricading and group panic in the Signal chat—no ICE was present [14:40].

• Whistle Codes:

  • Short and continuous blasts signal ICE presence and activity, respectively.
  • Walsh mocks the need for a manual for whistle usage.

• Paranoia and Obfuscation:

  • Members frequently change names and warn of potential tech surveillance, reflecting both fear and awareness of engaging in illegal acts.

2. Funding Structure & Nonprofit Connections

[24:00 – 36:00]

• Defend the 612’s Legal Entity:

  • Registered as a tax-exempt nonprofit: "Cooperation Cannon River."
    • Mission statement to IRS covers environmental and social justice, worker co-ops—no mention of ICE resistance.
    • Suggests "real" mission is covered up for tax/funding purposes.

• Funding Trail:

  • Major Donors:
    • Tides Foundation ($10,000)
    • MN350 ($75,000, itself funded by the state of Minnesota)
  • Soros Connection:
    • Tides Foundation funds often originate with Open Society Foundations (George Soros), Rockefeller, Ford Foundation, etc.
    • “So we say that George Soros is behind everything because when you dig to the bottom of it, you discover that, well, he is.” [35:10]

• Taxpayer Funding Allegations:

  • Argues that by funding MN350, which then donates to anti-ICE groups, the state is channeling taxpayer money toward these activities.
  • Complains that nonprofits are left unregulated, calling for shutdown and prosecution:
    “Anyone disseminating pamphlets that encourage people to commit crimes, like the group ICE Watch, which Renee Goode was a member of, should be arrested.” [36:50]

• National Phenomenon:

  • Points to similar rapid response/anti-ICE activism elsewhere (e.g., GR Rapid Response in Minneapolis, claimed 4,000 participants in 81 rapid groups).

• Enabling Judicial System:

  • Suggests leftist judges and state lawsuits (Minnesota suing the federal government over immigration enforcement) are furthering these efforts, fueling what he calls an “anti-American movement.”

3. Policy & Cultural Commentary

[36:00 – 46:30]

On State-Federal Conflict Over ICE

• Walsh ridicules Minnesota’s lawsuit against the federal government for immigration enforcement and mask-wearing by ICE, calling it "a declaration of secession."
• Highlights what he sees as hypocrisy: Minnesota once forced mask mandates, now sues over ICE masks.
• Argues the only solution is for federal authorities to “crack down” on organizers and funders:
  “After a certain point, once the checks dry up, the cars are impounded, the agitators are sent to prison, it will end.” [39:50]

On IVF & Older Motherhood

• Brief but emphatic critique of rising rates of single women having children in their 40s via IVF:
  • “IVF for single women should be banned. Why do we even allow this? … At a minimum, at the very least, it should not be allowed for unmarried women. Obviously.” [46:10]
• Argues this trend violates natural order and produces worse outcomes for children (no extended family network, aging parents).

On Global Population "Lies"

[40:30 – 46:30]

• Discusses viral claim by a Chinese dissident that China’s population is vastly overstated (400–500 million, not 1.4 billion).
• Raises skepticism about global population data:
  “How do we know those numbers are accurate? And why should we believe they're accurate? And how could we confirm one way or another?” [45:00]
• Claims inflation of population statistics benefits governments and “globalists”—e.g., justifies fears of overpopulation.

4. Identity Politics & “Black Women Untouchability”

[51:53 – 63:30]

Reaction to Media/Intra-Left Controversy

• Plays a TikTok response criticizing two gay Asian podcasters for lightly criticizing black Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett.
  • “It's always a twink with a gaping rosebud and a microphone that has so much to say... it's structurally violent insane that Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang thought... to tell black people... not to financially support a black woman.” [51:53]

Walsh’s Take:

• Claims black women are “never criticized,” enjoy unique social privilege in public discourse, and are “untouchable”:
  “Black women are basically never criticized as a group, right? Like nobody ever singles out black women as a group and condemns or even just criticizes them.” [53:30]
• Satirically contrasts award show moment (Teyonah Parris at Golden Globes):
  • E.g. If a white man made a similar speech about white men he would be “ripped limb from limb.” [61:00]
• Attributes this to a shifting “victim hierarchy” within progressive politics, suggesting black women are now at the apex.

Notable Quote:

• “A black woman gets up there and says, ‘We belong in every room we walk into.’ What? No, you don’t. There are definitely rooms where you might not belong.” [62:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Anti-ICE Groups:
  “They're bragging about criminal obstruction... anyone can become a member, as those Minnesota politicians indicated.” [07:45]
• On Funding:
  “Taxpayers fund the government of Minnesota. In turn, the government... funds a nondescript generic nonprofit... which turns out to be a communist front group.” [34:35]
• On Population Numbers:
  “China could say they have a population of 2 billion or 400 million. And either way it, as far as I'm concerned and you're concerned, like, okay, maybe. No way of knowing, no way of verifying that.” [45:20]
• On Black Women’s “Privilege”:
  “Black women are just never called out... they're never criticized at all, ever.” [54:00]
• Satirical Hyperbole:
  “They would descend upon him and rip Timothy Chalamet literally to shreds, limb from limb. His bloody, dismembered corpse would be left on the stage and they would dance around it like wild Indians celebrating.” [61:40]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Show Intro & Episode Preview
• 02:00–24:00 – Deep Dive: Infiltrating & Exposing Anti-ICE Groups (Defend the 612)
• 24:00–36:00 – Funding Structures & Nonprofit Cover
• 36:00–39:50 – Federal-State Conflict & “Secession” Lawsuit
• 46:00–50:00 – IVF and Single Motherhood in 40s (sociocultural critique)
• 40:30–46:30 – Discussion on Global Population Numbers and Manipulation
• 51:53–63:30 – Identity & Victimhood: Commentary on Media, Black Women, and Double Standards

Tone

• The episode showcases Matt Walsh’s signature sarcastic, combative, and polemical style.
• Language is often derisive toward political opponents, employing mockery and hyperbole.
• Walsh’s tone while reporting his findings is measured but carried by incredulity and outrage, shifting to outright sarcasm for social commentary sections.

Summary

If you haven’t listened to this episode, expect a critical (and frequently mocking) breakdown of left-wing activism against ICE in Minnesota, significant accusations about funding and organization (with direct links to progressive nonprofits and taxpayer money), and broader culture war commentary on family, population, and identity politics. Walsh’s undercover reporting offers rare insights from inside activist group communications, while his social and political analysis is uncompromising and provocative—even by his own standards.