Transcript

Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM

From Lovett or Leave It · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 20 min · 3,714 words · 39 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM", an episode of Lovett or Leave It published January 31, 2026 (20 min, about 3,714 words). It mentions 14 people, works and ideas, including Steven Little Miller, ICE, Alex Jeffrey Prey, Minneapolis, Twin Cities.

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on the volatile relationship between ICE officers and protesters in Minneapolis, highlighting growing tensions over immigration enforcement actions. Key points include assertions of federal immunity for ICE officers, observations of local protests, and the community's mixed feelings towards law enforcement amidst ongoing deportation efforts.

Key takeaways

  • In the ICE vs. community showdown, 'Minnesota Nice' takes a chilling turn into 'Minnesota Frightened.'
  • Federal immunity for ICE agents: a get-out-of-jail-free card or an open invitation for abuse?
  • Surprise! Intimidation tactics don't create safety; they make neighborhoods fear calling 911 over domestic abuse.
  • Conservative claims of fraud hinge on pre-existing investigations—turns out, they found no new criminals after all.
  • From brave protestors to anxious families, Minneapolis shows that even a 'nice' city can't escape the chaos of ICE.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: Steven Little Miller, ICE, Alex Jeffrey Prey, Minneapolis
  2. – 6:00: Trump Administration, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Renee Mlin Good
  3. – 9:00: Alex Jeffrey Prey, Renee Mlin Good, Twin Cities, George Floyd
  4. – 12:00: Steven Little Miller, Bombas, Alex Jeffrey Prey, Trump Administration
  5. – 15:00: ICE, Renee Mlin Good, Governor Tim Walz, Newport, Oregon
  6. – 18:00: Alex Jeffrey Prey, Trump Administration, Twin Cities, Governor Tim Walz
  7. – 19:48: Minneapolis, Trump Administration

Notable quotes from "Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM"

  • Said, arrived like conquerors, but fled like fugitives. Not sure what made me think of that, but I was in Minneapolis this week because I wanted to see on the ground what it was like there for myself. I spent a lot of time talking to.
    about Minneapolis · at
  • Here is what Steven Miller said earlier this month following the shooting death of Renee Good, but before the shooting death of Alex Prey. To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct.
    about Steven Little Miller · at
  • Like a couch joke, but I knew it would work, so it's fine. Fact of it. And so, ICE and Border Patrol haven't been acting like law enforcement. They've been acting like a gang.…
    about ICE · at
  • And we know all this is just a pretext because six federal prosecutors quit rather than investigate Renee Good's widow. And one of those prosecutors was in charge of the fraud investigations that Trump claims to care so much about.
    about Renee Mlin Good · at
  • And then there was the response by the citizens of Minnesota. People on corners everywhere invest with whistles all across the Twin Cities, in front of high schools and elementary schools and preschools on corners in immigrant.
    about Twin Cities · at
  • One note about that guy is I went up to him. So, we were at the Alex Prey Memorial where he was killed and it was it's a obviously a somber place and there were people laying down candles and signs, some of them funny, some of.
    about Alex Jeffrey Prey · at
  • To essential health care threatened. In a blow to our already abysmal healthcare system, the Trump administration and Congress have defunded Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing…
    about Trump Administration · at
  • Is ICE? We were talking to protesters at Whipple when we got word that we could run over to the Capitol and sit down with Governor Tim Waltz. So, I asked a few people there what they'd want to know from the governor and they had a range.
    about Governor Tim Walz · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Steven Little Miller — Person · Referenced political operative / administration spokesperson · 4 mentions · first at
    Quoted advocating (or appearing to advocate) broad immunity for ICE officers; later described as labeling Alex Prey a 'would-be assassin,' serving as a focal point for the episode’s criticism of the administration’s posture toward enforcement and protest.
  • Alex Jeffrey Prey — Person · Victim referenced; central memorialized figure in episode’s Minneapolis segment · 4 mentions · first at
    Presented as an ICU nurse (including caring for veterans) who was killed; his memorial and the public reaction (stethoscopes left at the site) anchor the episode’s narrative about intimidation, protest, and empathy.
  • Renee Mlin Good — Person · Victim referenced in discussion of ICE-related violence and community response · 4 mentions · first at
    Her shooting death is used as a key example of the human toll and escalation around ICE operations; the transcript references a memorial and mentions prosecutors quitting rather than investigating her widow.
  • Governor Tim Walz — Person · Referenced public official interviewed/visited in episode · 2 mentions · first at
    The host describes going to the Minnesota Capitol to sit down with the governor, positioning him as a key state-level actor amid federal ICE operations and local protest pressure.
  • J.D. Vance — Person · Referenced politician commenting on immunity for federal officers · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as saying officers would have 'absolute immunity' and then walking it back, reinforcing the episode’s theme that officials rhetorically encourage aggressive enforcement while trying to avoid accountability.
    Have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job. I…
  • George Floyd — Person · Referenced victim of police violence; historical catalyst for activism · 1 mention · first at
    Invoked alongside Philando Castile to situate the Twin Cities’ current mobilization within the broader legacy of Minnesota-centered protest movements.
    Providing mutual aid. People who have been activists their whole lives, people who began protesting after the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd. I met somebody who…
  • Philando Castile — Person · Referenced victim of police violence; historical catalyst for activism · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a turning point that motivated some activists in Minnesota, connecting current protests to earlier movements against police violence.
    Providing mutual aid. People who have been activists their whole lives, people who began protesting after the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd. I met somebody who…

Companies & orgs

  • ICE — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    Central to the episode's discussion about immigration enforcement and protests in Minneapolis.
  • Trump Administration — Company · Business focus · 5 mentions · first at
    Discussed in the context of ICE operations and immigration policies.

Places & events

  • Minneapolis — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at
    Primary location of the episode's events and protests against ICE.
  • Twin Cities — Place · Setting · 5 mentions · first at
    Refers to Minneapolis and Saint Paul, central to the episode's narrative.
  • Newport, Oregon — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a location where ICE intends to build a new detention center.
    Will end or ICE will come to your city, too. On Tuesday, court filings revealed that ICE intends to build a new detention center in Newport, Oregon. In Portland, Oregon, an…

Sponsors

  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America — Company · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at
    Sponsored the episode, highlighting their fight for healthcare access.
    And congrats to Jill Stein on getting another voter. This episode is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Over the last year, we've seen our rights attack…
  • Bombas — Company · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at
    Sponsored the episode, promoting their comfortable footwear and socks.
    That's where Bombas comes in. They're bringing serious comfort to all of your everyday go-tos. The allnew Bombas sports socks are engineered with sports specific comfort for running, golf,.

Full transcript with timestamps

To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony. Solid legal advice from the law offices of Incel Incel and Dersuits.

But first, let's get into it. What a week. There's an old line about Napoleon's doomed Russia campaign and his ultimate retreat from Moscow. The Grand Army, it said, arrived like conquerors, but fled like fugitives. Not sure what made me think of that, but I was in Minneapolis this week because I wanted to see on the ground what it was like there for myself. I spent a lot of time talking to protesters outside the Whipple Building, the current base for ICE operations in the Twin Cities. And this is neither here nor there, but the Whipple Building is too delightful a name to headquarter a lawless deportation program. The Whipple building is where you store your city's butterscotch reserves.

Whenever a vehicle would drive by, the protesters would all stop and scan the people inside. Are you one of us? Are you part of our community? Or are you part of the occupying force that has been wreaking havoc for weeks? Some of the protesters were there to organize against ICE, to be part of a communitywide effort to protect their neighbors. Others set up supplies to keep people warm. And still others I met were there because they were just [ __ ] furious. I don't want to say [ __ ] ICE because you couldn't pay me enough to [ __ ] anybody from ICE. I probably shouldn't say stuff.

What happened? What happened to Minnesota? Nice. This is Minnesota nice. If they can't handle bad words, maybe they shouldn't come here.

And you'd see car after car of masked federal agents. Some would speed by uh their heads kind of forward. Others would slow down to actually antagonize the demonstrators. like the WWE, but instead of John Cena, it's an angry, fragile, unfuckable zero who is excited to stay in a hotel because his ex-girlfriend took the bed frame when she left. And even though that was two years ago, his mattress is still on the floor, pressed into the corner of his blankwalled bachelor bedroom that reeks of icy hot Takis and dried release.

It was a stark contrast between the protesters standing in the freezing cold day after day and these masked agents in their rented SUVs clearly getting off on playing the heel. And it's no wonder. Here is what Steven Miller said earlier this month following the shooting death of Renee Good, but before the shooting death of Alex Prey. To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony.

Solid legal advice from the law offices of Incel Incel and Dersuits. In fairness to Stephen, you'd also be mad all the time if your Fontineel never closed. Got [snorts] to got to lay him down really gently. JD Vance told them they'd have absolute immunity before walking it back last week.

The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job. I didn't say and I don't think any other official within the Trump administration said that officers who engaged in wrongdoing would enjoy immunity. That's absurd.

Of course, that's assuming these clips are of the same guy. If if there are two of them now, we're going to need a bigger couch. I don't know. It's like, you know what's sad? It's like a couch joke, but I knew it would work, so it's fine. Fact of it. And so, ICE and Border Patrol haven't been acting like law enforcement. They've been acting like a gang. Here's just one example of an ICE agent in Minneapolis proving the point.

You erase your voice, I erase your voice. If I raise my voice, you'll erase Exactly. Yeah.

But Amanda Gorman's Wario isn't just saying what they're is just saying what they're all thinking. This entire campaign has been about intimidation from the start. Minneapolis isn't a big city. It barely cracks the top 50 in the United States. It's a diverse city, but it doesn't have a particularly large foreignb born population. This current ICE operation was in part instigated by a conservative YouTuber who claimed to unearth massive fraud conducted by Somali run fedally funded daycarees. But there were already 62 investigations underway into that alleged fraud. And dozens were already charged under the Biden administration several years ago. And even if there was ongoing fraud, that has absolutely nothing to do with immigration enforcement. Can you imagine the schmucks from ICE doing forensic accounting? Half of these guys are in ICE because they didn't understand how interest worked before they became

underwater on a [ __ ] cyber truck. And we know all this is just a pretext because six federal prosecutors quit rather than investigate Renee Good's widow. And one of those prosecutors was in charge of the fraud investigations that Trump claims to care so much about. Meanwhile, all the chaos on our screens has led Americans to believe that ICE is making cities less safe. And in the Twin Cities, you come to see how that is literally true. And not only in the immediate chaos ICE has unleashed. I met somebody who was part of a mutual aid organization. He had uh seen up close people not only afraid to leave the house, but afraid to call 911, to report domestic abuse, to go to the hospitals, to seek shelter. I talked to a police officer about all the ways this is putting pressure on the resources of law enforcement. Everywhere you go, the cops are having to do their best to keep the peace in a city on edge in what amounts

to a 24-hour a day, 7-day a week protest. I did take that to mean you could just park basically anywhere. Loading zones, sidewalks, and we never paid a meter once and never got a single ticket. But there are downsides. And then there was the response by the citizens of Minnesota. People on corners everywhere invest with whistles all across the Twin Cities, in front of high schools and elementary schools and preschools on corners in immigrant neighborhoods in what would have been busy commercial districts, but now feel like ghost towns. It was a grassroots army of volunteer sentinels standing in the extreme cold for hours at a time.

Los Angeles, imagine an AMC movie theater, but you've forgotten your hoodie. Now imagine colder. Or maybe this will help. The weather in Minnesota is what cryotherapy is based on. We met union leaders organizing rides to work and supplies for their members, native organizations doing patrols and providing mutual aid. People who have been activists their whole lives, people who began protesting after the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd. I met somebody who had never been to a protest before in his entire life. And he was like hot.

every kind of person was out there. I um for many years was involved in what led up to project 2025 and I was a straight ticket Republican voter for 25 years of my life. And of course uh I'll never vote that way again.

One note about that guy is I went up to him. So, we were at the uh Alex Prey Memorial where he was killed and it was it's a obviously a somber place and there were people laying down candles and signs, some of them funny, some of them very serious, some of them sad. Um, one thing that was just very sad to see is how many people had laid down um stethoscopes at the memorial. And I saw him and he did not want to talk. And actually, when I stopped him, he said, "Oh, I'm not eloquent. I don't have anything to say. I don't have anything to say." which is a common thing. You just people feel like that's not for me.

I'm like there's a such a humble thing about the Twin Cities. And I just seen this uh guy and by the way just it's a small thing but like it it is so cold and he's not d like he's comfortable in the cold. Like you just tell he's just a guy that's like used to the cold. Like I am I am [ __ ] freezing. He's like barely covered. He's fine. But I just watched this big burly guy carry flowers to the memorial, lay them down, stand in silence for, you know, 20 or 30 seconds, and then just turn around to walk away. And I like just wanted to talk to him.

It's just one of the many people that they're not being interviewed. They're not [snorts] loud, but they are part of the response you see everywhere. When you would go to the Pretty Memorial, there were people there at all hours. And it may not be a big crowd, but there are always people just coming, taking a moment, and walking away. The same at the Renee Good memorial, there was just a man outside the Renee Good memorial who has who had been there all night in front of a fire uh just to keep watch over it, to prevent anybody from messing with it, to prevent anybody from clearing anything away at all hours everywhere. And you just saw that that you saw that everywhere. You just saw people everywhere just taking small moments to be part of the community and feeling like they just wanted to do some small thing. Um, so anyway, I met that guy and he'll never vote Republic again.

And congrats to Jill Stein on getting another voter. This episode is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Over the last year, we've seen our rights attack, the truth stretched, and access to essential health care threatened. In a blow to our already abysmal healthcare system, the Trump administration and Congress have defunded Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing care for 1.1 million patients across the country. But Planned Parenthood isn't backing down. They're still fighting to provide non-judgmental care like birth control, cancer screenings, abortion, and more to millions of people. And your support can make the difference. Planned Parenthood relies on the generosity of individuals, people like you, to power their work.

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Code love it at checkout. Trump relieved his commander at large, Greg Bavino. He was issued his walking papers on Monday and immediately turned back into a nutcracker after Steven Miller called Alex Prey a wouldbe assassin and Christine Gnome called this ICU nurse for veterans and domestic terrorists seeking to do maximum damage to law enforcement rather than apologize like human beings. They've both been trying to blame each other. And I say let him duke it out. I have no dog in this fight and obviously neither does Christine Gnome.

Not anymore. But in some ways, Steven Miller and Christine Gnome and Greg Bavino being despicable was useful because it made the leadership as ugly as the campaign itself. If anything, all the filler just made it worse. No change in tone or leadership will change the math. ICE cannot reach Steven Miller's deportation goals without grabbing people who are going to their immigration appointments, legally applying for asylum, or just trying to work and just trying to live. And that means whatever happens at the top, either a policy of mass deportations will end or ICE will come to your city, too. On Tuesday, court filings revealed that ICE intends to build a new detention center in Newport, Oregon. In Portland, Oregon, an entire family was detained by ICE while taking their 7-year-old daughter to urgent care because her nose wouldn't stop bleeding.

They made it as far as the parking lot. Now, that family is being held at the same Texas facility where 5-year-old Liam Ramos is. That's the the kid in the blue bunny hat. Uh he's being held there with his father. ICE was already in Portland, Maine in an operation called playfully catch of the day. Though apparently Christine Nome told Susan Collins that that operation would end. There's been all kinds of speculation about where ICE would go next. Philadelphia city government is debating ways to restrict ICE as rumors swirl that that city uh filled with brotherly love and great sandwiches might be the administration's next target, which would be pretty insane even for Trump.

You just lost in a city filled with our country's nicest whites. You're going to the city with our meanest ones. Mark my words, they're going to arrest a dozen dudes in Philly for pelting ICE agents with D batteries and then every last one of them is going to go, "What is ICE?" We were talking to protesters at Whipple when we got word that we could run over to the Capitol and sit down with Governor Tim Waltz. So, I asked a few people there what they'd want to know from the governor and they had a range of the most like Minnesota reactions imaginable, like, "Oh, I don't know. I'm I'm just here to be supportive. I wouldn't know what to ask the governor or anything like that. And one person said, "We're out here and we just need to know that he's on our side and not their side." And then as we were uh walking uh uh to leave, we ran into another uh couple of protesters and I said like, "Is there anything you'd want

us to the governor to know about what you're feeling and what's happening out here?" [snorts] And she just said, "I guess I want them to know that we're all just so sad." And then she just broke down. Just broke down. And then she said she was a fan of the show, which like oddly didn't help. Uh, it's a hard time for everyone. The Bruce Springsteen song wasn't very good. Uh, and I'm sure it's hard to be the guy who says, "I don't know. I think this one could use another pass." Bruce Springsteen. It's kind of literal, but we all have to do our things right now. What happened to subtlety and universal truth in art?

When can we be honest about Amanda Gorman's rhyming AP stories? Clearly not yet. So emotions were very close to the surface everywhere you went. Everybody was pretty raw and angry and heartbroken about what was happening in their home. But one thing that I thought captured the experience is as you know there's mass guys going in and out and they're being uh uh yelled at and they're taunting back and it's it's pretty ugly. But then there would be say a firetruck go by and those guys are from the community and the people in the protest would be like you know give us a horn or like honk or wave right and like they're not sure what they're supposed to do right because they're both sort of representatives of the government and they're supposed to be official but they also feel a connection to the community and just to see people feel that tension. You feel that genuinely everywhere. It was inspiring to see all

those people on the street corner after corner in their vests and their whistles. It is also deeply strange and uncomfortable to see people standing on street corners forming a kind of grassroots uh uh organization to defend themselves against the federal government and federal law enforcement because they know that that machine is not respecting court orders, not respecting the law. And so it is a beautiful thing to see, but it's also a terrifying thing to see. And like I know it's easier to be mad than to be sad. And so in our personal lives, the work often happens. We have to like learn to like stop being mad and like face that we're sad and really kind of sit in being sad. I think we should fight the urge to be sad and try to stay really [ __ ] mad. And I think this this can help.

This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.

I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for Alex Prey, but I don't. I don't. Do you know why I wasn't shot by Border Patrol this weekend? because I kept my ass inside and out of their operations.

Boy Scout outdoorsman, right? You know who that is? A lot of people. Dennis Rider, the BTK killer, was all those things.

Trump and Gnome and Miller and all these freaks, they've convinced themselves that empathy is weakness. And everything about Trump and his project is about training people to be less caring and more selfish, to be less forgiving and more cruel. But that also means they're caught off guard when kind people are tougher and braver than they are. When a nurse who cared for dying veterans puts his life on the line to help a woman pushed to the ground and his death galvanizes the country. And when a city rises up to meet a hostile force on every corner at every turn against tear gas and pepper spray and a campaign of intimidation out of love for their neighbors alone. And I saw that everywhere in the Twin Cities, too. And I also saw the governor's insane diet Mountain Dew fridge.

It's too few, but also too many. There are nine Diet Mountain Dews in there. And of course, that's a lot of Diet Mountain Dews, but not if you have a fridge for them.

And so now we have Tom Hman saying this. That said, I'm not here because of the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly. I do not want to hear that everything's been done here has been perfect.

Shouldn't be a problem. Uh I'd like to pause and acknowledge a technique Homeman is using here. Uh it's a turn of phrase. It's called a lot. Do you know what a lotes is? Uh, that's where instead of describing something directly, you describe how something is not. It's contrary. So Trump's immigration enforcement in Minneapolis has not been handled perfectly. The Titanic's maiden voyage did not go as planned. Ticket sales for the Melania documentary have not surpassed our expectations. And that shift from home in is more than just a change in tone.

This is common sense cooperation that allow us to draw down on the number of people we have here. Yes, I said it. Draw down the number of people here.

We've conditioned ourselves not to celebrate even small victories because we don't want to seem naive and we don't want to let our guards down. And I get that. But it is worth saying that the people of Minnesota rose up against the Trump administration and the Trump administration backed down. And whatever comes next, whatever Yeah. And whatever comes next, whatever horrors we get yet to see, that ought to teach them a lesson and serve as a lesson for all of us, too. We're not trapped in here with Trump. Trump is trapped in here with us. And there's no way this gets back to Bruce Springsteen, right? Like there's no like what are the odds? That seems impossible, right? That's Bruce is not going to hear about this.

ICE OUT NOW. OUR city's heart and soul persist. It believe it straight.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM"?

Jon Lovett (Guest), Stephen Miller (Guest), Kristi Noem (Guest), Tim Walz (Guest).

What is "Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM" about?

The discussion centers on the volatile relationship between ICE officers and protesters in Minneapolis, highlighting growing tensions over immigration enforcement actions. Key points include assertions of federal immunity for ICE officers, observations of local protests, and the community's mixed feelings towards law enforcement amidst ongoing deportation efforts.

What is mentioned in this Lovett or Leave It episode?

14 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Steven Little Miller, ICE, Alex Jeffrey Prey, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Trump Administration. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller BLAME Each Other for ICE MAYHEM"?

The episode runs 20 min; the transcript is about 3,714 words in 39 timestamped sections.

More from Lovett or Leave It

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 3, 2026.