JT Cestkowski From Status Coup on Covering ICE from Frontlines

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode Summary:

Guest: JT Cestkowski from Status Coup
Air Date: January 10, 2026
Theme:
Frontline reporting on the escalating violence and crackdown by ICE and Border Patrol in Minneapolis following the killing of Renee Nicole Good, with insights from independent journalist JT Cestkowski (Status Coup). The episode centers on civic resistance, firsthand witnessing of state violence, the responsibility of citizen journalists, and the urgent need to support independent media.

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1. Overview of the Episode’s Main Theme

• The Meiselas brothers discuss the aftermath of ICE's killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, highlighting exclusive on-the-ground reporting, the militarization of federal agents, and how these tactics parallel paramilitary crackdowns in autocracies.
• JT Cestkowski, a frontline reporter from Status Coup, joins to provide in-depth, firsthand context and analysis based on weeks embedded with affected communities.

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2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

A. Escalation of Violence by ICE in Minneapolis

• Following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good (a 37-year-old mother), ICE and Border Patrol intensified crackdowns against protesters.
• Status Coup provides exclusive footage of ICE agents using chemical agents and physical force ("chemical warfare") against peaceful protesters ([00:58], [03:15]).
  • Quote: “You see these ICE Gestapo using this chemical warfare against people. I mean, chemical warfare on the streets of the United States of America.”
    —Ben [04:15]

B. Community Outrage and Protest

• Protesters’ emotional pleas and confrontations captured live:
  • Quote: “You a right to put your hands on anyone. No right. Reason for this, dude... Don’t put your hands on me, bro.”
    —Protester [02:21]
  • Quote: “Motherfuckers. Evil worth the humanity. White lady too. People. Stop killing us. How about that?”
    —Protester [05:10]
  • Quote: “You should be marching with us... God help you.”
    —Minneapolis Protester [05:35], [05:51]
• Protesters articulate the human costs, referencing Renee Nicole Good’s young son, and challenging ICE agents’ morality directly ([06:02]-[06:24]).

C. Increased Militarization and Paramilitary Tactics

• Discussion on how federal agents now appear indistinguishable from military troops, causing confusion and fear in communities.
  • “The level of equipment that they are being outfitted with... they look nearly indistinguishable from soldiers.”
    —JT Cestkowski [14:20]

D. Systemic Patterns of Abuse — Not “A Few Bad Apples”

• JT recounts similar crackdowns in Chicago and Charlotte, with Minneapolis following the same script: routine use of chemical agents and lethal force, especially by Border Patrol ([10:38]).
• Emphasizes that this is a recurring, systemic problem, not isolated incidents or “bad apples.”
  • Quote: “The number one takeaway ... is just how undertrained or willfully these agents are inducing this violence... They escalate and then they deploy the force.”
    —JT Cestkowski [15:38]

E. ICE Budget and Political Context

• The increased violence and militarization linked to Republican-led budget increases and policy decisions under Trump, enabling ICE and Border Patrol to purchase more weapons and gear ([14:20]).
• The Trump administration’s immediate response was to brand Renee Nicole Good a “domestic terrorist,” signaling carte blanche for further crackdowns ([12:41]).

F. Alleged Collaboration with Far-Right Elements

• Status Coup footage shows anti-migrant agitators spewing hate, seemingly protected by ICE agents:
  • Quote: “These people are terrorists. They hate our country! ... When we come one, we go all. No one can stop what is coming.”
    —Agitator [09:01]
  • Ben notes direct overlap with QAnon rhetoric ([09:01]).

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3. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On ICE Violence:
  • “ICE agents use chemical agents on people, engaging in chemical warfare in Minneapolis.” —Ben [00:58]
• On Maintaining Integrity and Mission:
  • “We don’t like just the parachute-in type of journalism... We should continue to follow up on all of the different types of pain that are being inflicted on these communities.”
    —JT Cestkowski [17:37]
• On Reporter Hardships:
  • “You might be hospital getting your fingers looked at... You might be getting tear gassed... There’ve been days where I don’t eat until, you know, I get back to the hotel at the end of the night.”
    —JT Cestkowski [17:37]
• On Systemic Nature:
  • “It’s not just a few bad apples, this is a systemic problem.”
    —JT Cestkowski [19:39]
• On Community Responsibility:
  • “Everyone has to follow their conscience. Everyone has to do what’s right in front of them... You have to grapple with the fact that a 37 year old mother was murdered by ICE yesterday in cold blood.”
    —Minneapolis ICE Protester [06:24]
• Ben’s Endorsement:
  • “Status Coup is the real deal... This is the exact type of independent media company we should all be supporting.”
    —Ben [09:30], [20:43]
• Support Appeal:
  • “This work that we do is incredibly expensive... We don’t take any sort of sponsorships. We want to be beholden only to our audience.”
    —JT Cestkowski [21:43]

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4. Timeline of Important Segments (Timestamps)

• [00:58] – Ben introduces theme; plays exclusive Status Coup footage of ICE using chemical agents on protesters.
• [02:21 - 05:51] – Protesters confront ICE; emotional, raw exchanges with agents captured on tape.
• [06:24 - 07:22] – Protesters directly challenge ICE agents’ consciences, referencing the impact on Renee Nicole Good’s son.
• [07:36] – Car runs over (or nearly hits) a protester during evening demonstrations.
• [09:01] – Footage of anti-immigrant agitator invoking QAnon language, apparently protected by ICE agents.
• [10:38] – JT Cestkowski joins; describes “depressingly similar” patterns of ICE violence in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Charlotte.
• [12:41] – Discussion of Trump admin’s escalatory rhetoric, calling victims and protesters “domestic terrorists.”
• [14:20] – Militarization: ICE/Border Patrol now visually indistinguishable from military troops.
• [17:37] – JT describes grueling endurance, real risks, and guiding principles of Status Coup’s reporting.
• [19:39] – JT underscores systemic nature of abuses and Status Coup’s commitment to long-term coverage.
• [21:43] – JT appeals for direct audience support, emphasizing independence and risk (“We want to be beholden only to our audience”).

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5. Flow, Tone, and Takeaways

• Language/Tone: The episode retains the Meidas brothers’ urgent, fiery energy, with frontline audio from protests amplifying the intensity and stakes. JT Cestkowski’s remarks are measured, empathetic, and grounded in lived experience.
• Key Takeaways:
  • Systemic violence by ICE/Border Patrol is a national issue, not local, not a fluke.
  • State and federal authorities’ tactics resemble paramilitary crackdowns, intentionally sowing terror in communities of color.
  • Grassroots, independent journalism—despite grave personal risk—is vital for accountability and public awareness.
  • Listeners are called to support outlets like Status Coup that eschew traditional sponsorship or access journalism, relying solely on the community.

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6. Call to Action

• Direct Appeals:
  • Subscribe and support Status Coup (YouTube, Substack, direct membership at statuscoup.com/join) to sustain on-the-ground reporting.
  • The struggle needs independent media—described both as a practical necessity (funding/journalistic integrity) and a civic imperative.

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7. Final Thoughts

This episode provides an urgent, harrowing account of unfolding events in Minneapolis through Status Coup’s journalistic lens. It’s a clarion call to democracy advocates and engaged citizens to pay close attention to militarized policing at home—and to materially back the independent reporters risking everything to bring this reality to light.

Transcript

[Ben]

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[Ben]

All hell is breaking loose in Minnesota and Minneapolis as Donald Trump's ICE Gestapo continues to terrorize the community there after murdering in cold blood Renee Nicole Good. The COVID up continues also as Trump's Gestapo and Trump's FBI claims that they're taking over the investigation, refusing to share evidence with with local law enforcement to further cover up the cold blooded murder. And folks, we have exclusive footage brought to you by the great folks, the courageous folks at Status Coup about what's been going down. You're not seeing this footage anywhere else other than here. And Status Coup, who we've been working with on the ground. They've got reporters there. Let's show you what went down as ICE agents are using chemical agents on people engaging in chemical warfare in Minneapolis. Let's play this clip. Then chaos ensues as ICE agents tackle and drag Minneapolis protesters in front of a federal building in the aftermath of the murder of Renee Nicole. Good. Play this clip.

[Protester]

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Hey, what the did this guy do? Hey, what the did this guy do? What the. You a. You a right to put your hands on anyone. No right. Reason for this, dude. I ain't near you, bro. I'm not near you. Don't put your hands on me, bro. I ain't doing all that.

[Ben]

Wow. ICE agents push drag and tear gas Minneapolis protesters. Let's play this one.

[J.T. Citowski]

Here.

[Ben]

All right.

[Protester]

Real tough guy, man. Real tough guy.

[Ben]

You know. In connection with one of the federal court cases against the Border patrol and Nice. In Illinois, a federal judge in Cross examining some of the witnesses also was able to show that like in the entire history of like I think it was the Chicago pd. And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be like Chicago pd. They're great. You know, look, these police departments have their issues, but they never use these chemical agents like once over like a 30 year period. And on a daily basis you see these ICE Gestapo using this chemical warfare against people. I mean chemical warfare on the streets of the United States of America. Take a look at this protester captured by Status Co News on camera right here. Screaming at ICE agents as they point guns at her face. Here, play this clip.

[Protester]

Motherfuckers. Evil worth the humanity. White lady to. People. Stop killing us. Stop killing us. How about that?

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

Nobody has touched you.

[Protester]

No.

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

You guys are evil.

[Protester]

You are causing st. You're with us. You should be marching with us.

[Ben]

Here's another Minneapolis ICE protester scolding the line of ICE agents. This was also caught on camera as all this footage was by the great folks at Status Coup. Here, play this clip.

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

Murdering a mother of a six year old child. You're in the wrong, wrong place in your soul. God help you. God help you.

[Protester]

You.

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

Every one of us has to look at what the choices we make in this world. We have to look at the decisions we make. No amount of money, no amount of money is worth what happened. No amount of money is worth taking fathers away from their families so they can't worry.

[Ben]

No amount of money.

[J.T. Citowski]

Of money.

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

It's walk away. You can walk away. You don't have to do this.

[Ben]

So can you man.

[Minneapolis ICE Protester]

Really don't have to do this. You don't have to do it. Everybody has to follow their own conscience. Everyone has to follow their conscience. Everyone has to do what's right in front of them. God. In front of their soul, in front of themselves. That's what you have to do. You have to grapple with the fact that a 37 year old mother was murdered by ICE yesterday in cold blood. She left a 6 year old son. Her son's named Emerson. Emerson does not have a mother today. Emerson doesn't have a mother today because one of you murdered a woman in cold blood yesterday. Emerson does not have a mother lover today. Don't smirk at me man. Don't smirk it. I can see the smirk behind that don't smirk. The death of a woman is not smirkable thing.

[Ben]

Then in the evening hours as protests continue to break out, a car ran over a protester in Minneapolis as protesters march in the Rain against ice after the murder of Renee Nicole. Good. Let's play it.

[Protester]

Who voted for Trump? And they. They completely disown that. They don't believe in that anymore. The Republican Party. Whoa, whoa.

[J.T. Citowski]

Seeing whoa. Just watched a car nearly run over a protester. Maybe they did hit the protester. We're seeing some of the protesters chased down that car.

[Ben]

Then you had protesters shouting F ice.

[J.T. Citowski]

F ice.

[Ben]

F ice. Let's play it.

[J.T. Citowski]

As they continue to chant ice.

[Protester]

Hey, jt, just check the live. Make sure we're good.

[J.T. Citowski]

Yeah, yeah. On. On your phone. On your phone. Oh, oh, that. The signal's still good.

[Ben]

Then notably, you had this individual who was spewing anti migrant rhetoric, hateful rhetoric, screaming at the protesters, seemed to be protected by the ice ages that they were surrounding and protecting this guy like he was their buddy as he spewed venom and hate and in my opinion, racism towards the migrants. And he also seemed to be doing like Q and on stuff. The storm is here. And he seemed to be like part of the crew with these ICE Gestapo. With these people here. Play this clip.

[Protester]

Surrender. These people will not continue to intimidate us in our country. The storm is here. When we come one, we go all. No one can stop what is coming. Get here, guys, we need you in Minnesota. These people are terrorists. These people are terrorists. They hate our country. They hate everything we stand for. Who's we? The people that are watching. What do you stand for, Native American? What do you stand for?

[Ben]

So I want to bring in one of those reporters now from Status Coup News. You've seen him on here before on the Midas Touch Network. J.T. citowski. Great to see you, JT. Some of the other footage we showed was captured by John Farina. Some of the evening shots were you shout out to John Farina and the great work he's doing. Shout out to Status Coup in general. And before you and I get into this, I just want to tell everybody that make sure you subscribe to Status Coup on Substack. Help them grow their YouTube channel. They are bringing you exclusive footage you're not seeing anywhere else. And let me just say, as one of the co founders of Midas Touch, it's been an honor to work with Status Coup. They are the real deal. And make sure you subscribe on their YouTube channel and their substack. This is the exact type of independent media company we should all be supporting. So with that, jt, you've been embedded in these protests and you and I spoke about the last major ice invasion surge. When you were taping, are you seeing differences? How do you describe the scene about what you're observing now?

[J.T. Citowski]

I have to say that what is happening in Minneapolis is depressingly similar to what we documented for the two months that we were on the ground in Chicago. We were on the ground in Chicago for two months. Then we were following ICE as they or and Border Patrol as they ramped up operations in Charlotte. And then we've come here to Minneapolis where we've been on the ground nearly continuously for the last month or so. The story, the, the, the crackdown that's happening here in the city stretches back before the murder of Renee Nicole Good. But the similarities are what is so, so disheartening to me. You're watching the same patterns play out here in Minneapolis that you saw in Chicago. Because in Chicago we watched immigration agents shoot two people there, killed one, left another woman with seven bullet holes. And now it's playing out again in Minneapolis, where the Trump administration picks a blue city of the month to crack down on and to immiserate the residents who live there to terrify the immigrant populations or really any person of color and come in and ramp up the pressure, especially Border Patrol. There is a difference between ICE agents and Border Patrol agents. And Border Patrol really seems to bring a new level of pain to these communities. Wherever it is sent, you see much more of the cowboy tactics. And it's the first day that Border Patrol was on the ground here in Minneapolis when Renee Nicole Good was murdered. Murdered by an ICE agent to be sure, but murdered on the first day of a one month ramp up, further ramp up in the deployment of Trump administration goons here in the Twin Cities.

[Ben]

Area, you know, and it seems with the Trump regime's immediate response to a video that we all saw, which was a murder in cold blood. We saw that, we saw the video. There's no way to spin that video, you know, other than the police escalate. I mean, the ICE agents escalated and they shot in cold blood. A very scared individual didn't know what to do in a situation, in a situation like that. But the fact that the Trump regime immediately labels her domestic terrorist and using that language also, and that these are leftists who need to be stopped or to me, it's also sending a message, you know, to this, that's like this paramilitary force. I mean, you know, we talk about the collectivos in Venezuela. These are like American paramilitary that are now getting the orders. Got it. If what happened with Good is going to be defended by this Trump regime, And they're going to say, we're okay with that. We have free reign to do anything that we want here. And it almost feels like there's that signal that's being sent as well. And again, just seeing the presence of those people there, they're dressed up as the military. Like that's the thing that, like those people are ice. And, and you know, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes between ICE and Border Patrol with the masks, but they're dressed up in their military gear like they're invading. I mean, that's the look and the, you know, against the America. I don't know how to describe it.

[J.T. Citowski]

There was a moment when we were on the ground in Chicago where some of the protesters were coming up to me telling me that National Guard troops had been deployed to Chicago before they ever actually had been, just because people were confusing the militarized look of these Department of Homeland Security agents and the level of equipment that they are being outfitted with by the federal government that they look nearly indistinguishable from soldiers when they're wearing, you know, the same camouflage fatigues, the same, the same vestments, carrying a lot of the same weapons, a lot of them will carry long guns, etc. So it's, it's an unfortunate reality. I mean, when you hear about the way that ICE's budget in particular has been inflated now by Republican Congress and, and Trump pushing the one big beautiful bill that ended up, you know, in dramatically increasing ISIS budget, a lot of that budget too has gone to further purchasing munitions for these agents to use. So when you see like some of the clips that you played of some of the stuff that we've gathered, of just the willy nilly deploying of tear gas, of pepper spray, pepper balls, and unfortunately bullets against people, peaceful people here in Minneapolis, a lot of that is just due to the fact that we are, and when I say we, I mean I'm talking about Americans because it's our tax dollars that are paying for it. We are outfitting these agents with these weapons and if you got it, use it. It seems to be the mentality. I was just talking to a friend of mine today who has some right leaning tendencies, reached out to me because the shooting kind of broke through to him that maybe what ICE is doing is not good. Reached out to me and asked if it was just a few bad apples. And I had to tell him that the number one takeaway that I had from being on the ground now for the last many months covering these operations in these Cities is just how under trained or willfully these agents are inducing this violence just seemingly for the sake of it or just because they don't know how to de escalate a situation. They create these, the siege mentality within themselves in the way that they carry out these operations. They escalate and then they deploy the force.

[Ben]

I know that you don't like when I center stories around you the reporter because it's your lens and but I have to, I have to just ask you how are you doing? And just your day there, I mean you and John have been going back and forth, you know, 18 hours straight, like no sleep, like just can you talk through just. And again, I know you prefer just to do it and you know, and you don't see it this way but, but just talk to us about like what your day's like. I just want people to know what you're, what the work you're doing because I think it's important to know why I have so much respect for status coup.

[J.T. Citowski]

We wake up in every morning. We'll sleep as long as we possibly can because it can be hard to come by when you are in the field, especially for weeks upon weeks and we wake up, there's generally about. John and I will give ourselves a few minutes to put ourselves together in the morning, take a shower and then we are immediately, you know, we hit the pavement. It's shoe leather journalism. We are out there all day. We'll start like this morning started for John outside of the Whipple Building. That's the federal building here where ICE is basing a lot of their operations. That's where you played a lot of those daylight clips that you saw of the protesters directly confronting immigration agents. You could be live out there for several hours, then maybe you are, you know, you'll. Once that, once that situation wraps up, you'll be out following up leads in the community about where ICE is maybe conducting some of its raids. You might be live at a, an ICE raid as, as John was at one point and nearly gave himself frostbite on his fingers because it was sub zero wind chill as ICE was attempting to freeze out some people who were trying to take refuge inside of a construction site might be there for several hours. Then you might be in the hospital getting your fingers looked at as John was. You might be getting tear gassed as John and I both have been now by border Patrol. Happened again these last couple of days to us. And then you'll be out at protests in the rain through the night. There have Been days where I don't eat until, you know, I get back to the hotel at the end of the night. I'm. And now I'm doing this interview. I very much, I don't want to say I look forward to it being over because I do enjoy talking to you, Ben. But I get to eat as soon as this interview is done for the day. And then we crash and do it all again the next day and the next day and the next day. And we stay on the ground with these stories for as long as need be. We don't like just the parachute in type of journalism where you come in for a day, tell a story and leave. We believe that if we commit ourselves to a story, we should be on it for a long time. We should continue to follow up on, on all of the different types of pain that are being inflicted on these communities by this administration to show the ramp up. Because like I said before the murder of Renee Good, there is a whole month of operations that we, that we documented here of a pregnant woman being dragged across the ground by ICE agents, of these. Of people being frozen out by ice at a construction site in sub zero temperatures and of, of a gentleman who was himself stalked by ICE because he had the temerity to follow them and document their operations. And we bring the story after story after story to show that it's not just a few bad apples, that this is a story systemic problem.

[Ben]

Well, send my best to John. We all send our best to you and the whole crew at Status Coup. And I hope the Midas audience you've known because you've seen a lot of our posts now and videos that we collab and we've always figure out ways to work together. But I have just the highest respect for what Status Coup is doing and the fact that we at Midas Touch have been fortunate enough to build this massive platform and the trust of this brand broad community of, you know, 6 million here on YouTube and millions across other platforms. It's so important for me when I give a endorsement of someone, I mean it. And Status Coup is the real deal. And so everybody subscribe to their YouTube channel like let's get their channel, you know, quickly in the millions of subscribers subscribe to their st sub stack. Just go on substack and search Status Coup. S T A T U S C O U P and thanks for all the work you do JT and go eat, go eat.

[J.T. Citowski]

Thank you Ben. But before I do, I do just want to, I do just want to say one thing for folks as well. While while subscribing is is great and growing our audience is fantastic. This work that we do is incredibly expensive. To live on the ground in these places for as long as we do. That's time away from our families. We're spending $10,000 a month outside of the salaries that status to pay us. To be here like that is just for hotel where John and I sleep at the at the end of these very long days, to be able to afford a meal to shovel into our faces in the few minutes that we do, get to be able to replace broken parts of our camera equipment as we go to be able to afford the medical bills that we generate from being out here and reporting on these stories. So we ask people, we don't take any sort of sponsorships. We want to be beholden only to our audience. But that leaves us in a financially precarious position. So if you want to help keep us independent, if you could go to status coup.com join for those $5 a month you go to sustain what we do here.

[Ben]

Absolutely. Make sure you do that. Thank you so much, J.T.

[J.T. Citowski]

Thank you, Ben. I appreciate the time.

[Ben]

And everybody hit subscribe here. Let's get to 6 million here. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content only [e-mail].