A video featuring a man in an ICE uniform telling a Minnesota resident, “You raise your voice, I will erase your voice,” gained wide attention online this week. It drew criticism as federal immigration operations and protests continued in Minneapolis.
The short clip shows the agent speaking from inside a vehicle. The resident, sounding surprised, repeats the statement as a question, and the agent confirms it, according to the video shared on social media and referenced by several outlets.
The New Republic reported that the exchange took place on Tuesday, identifying the person addressed as a legal observer. The outlet cited a post from journalist Prem Thakker, giving credit to MinnMax for the footage. An Instagram post that shared the clip also linked it to MinnMax.
This incident occurred amid rising tensions in Minnesota after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, during a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis.
An initial report to Congress from the Department of Homeland Security, cited by the Guardian, stated that Customs and Border Protection personnel tried to take Pretti into custody. He resisted, and an agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” before two officers fired. The report mentioned that the firearm taken from Pretti was later cleared and secured.
The Guardian also drew attention to the “erase your voice” clip as part of a series of videos from Minnesota showing aggressive encounters during enforcement actions and demonstrations.
WOW! An ICE agent in Minneapolis tells an American citizen “If you raise your voice, I will erase your voice.”
Stop telling me that the Trump administration isn’t Fascist. They are threatening people for “raising their voice,” and how exactly will ICE “erase our voice?”
Kill… pic.twitter.com/h0pRcWrsc1
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 27, 2026
The New Republic described the exchange as part of a pattern of confrontations following the killings of two U.S. citizens in incidents involving immigration agencies.
The spread of the video also renewed focus on the role of federal immigration officers at protests and in neighborhoods. The Guardian reported that backlash has grown in Minnesota as videos circulate showing raids, detentions, and confrontations happening in public spaces, sometimes in front of children.
The clip gained attention as President Donald Trump indicated he might reduce the number of federal agents in the state. The Guardian reported that Trump said he may start “reducing” the deployment after the killings, while federal operations continued.
The New Republic stated that the “erase your voice” remark is an attempt at intimidation, aimed at someone documenting federal actions.
Neither ICE nor DHS issued a statement specifically addressing the video. The Guardian reported that the administration has defended its actions in Minnesota as part of investigations targeting fraud and serious crimes, while local educators, parents, and officials have criticized the impact on communities and schools.
The video’s origin and full context remain hard to verify from the clip alone, including the identity of the agent and the filming location. Still, the exchange has become a new focal point in the state’s debate over federal immigration tactics and the limits of officer conduct toward residents who capture or question enforcement actions.
