LIVE: Another Murder in Minneapolis (w/ Sam Stein & Adrian Carrasquillo) | Bulwark on Sunday

Alexander Prey, a VA ICU nurse, intervened to help a woman being harassed by ICE. He was pepper-sprayed, knocked down, and his legally registered gun was taken by an officer. After an accidental discharge of his own weapon (while in officer's possession), he was shot multiple times by six or seven ICE officers while unarmed and not resisting. Immediately following the shooting, the administration, including Stephen Miller, launched a coordinated and rehearsed campaign to label Prey a 'terrorist' and 'assassin,' claiming he threatened officers, a narrative directly contradicted by abundant video evidence.

Sam Stein details the sequence of events based on video evidence: Prey intervened, was pepper-sprayed, disarmed by an officer, and then shot multiple times after his gun (in the officer's hand) accidentally discharged. Bill Crystal and Sam Stein emphasize the administration's rapid deployment of a false narrative, calling Prey a 'terrorist' and 'assassin' despite his background as a choir boy and VA nurse.

Following the shooting, ICE actively obstructed state and local law enforcement from investigating the scene, moving quickly to count bullet holes and get their story straight rather than provide aid. This led to an unprecedented move by Minnesota state and local authorities, who successfully sought a temporary restraining order from a Trump-appointed federal judge. The order prevented federal agents from removing or destroying evidence and compelled them to cooperate with local investigators, highlighting a severe lack of trust between federal and local agencies.

Sam Stein notes that ICE's first response was to keep independent investigators off the scene and that a physician attempting to help Prey was blocked while officers counted bullet holes. He also highlights the 'astonishing' fact that state and local law enforcement, who normally avoid conflict with federal agencies, felt compelled to seek and were granted a temporary restraining order against the feds.

The hosts argue this incident is a significant inflection point, potentially shifting public opinion against ICE beyond traditional political lines, as evidenced by reactions from figures like Joe Rogan and NBA players. For Democrats, the issue of immigration and federal overreach has become a top 'psychic motivating level' concern, transcending previous political vulnerabilities. They now recognize a moral imperative to 'draw a real line' and fight back, understanding that inaction signals weakness to their base.

Sam Stein observes that 'people are fed up with ICE' and that 'normies understand' the unacceptable nature of the governance. He cites Joe Rogan and a prominent NBA player speaking out. Adrian Carrasquillo notes that for Democrats, this issue 'matters in a way that the others don't. It's about the morality of our country.'

Bill Crystal asserts that Congress is complicit in ICE's actions if it remains inactive, as these are congressionally authorized agencies using appropriated funds. He urges Democrats to be 'very aggressive' and introduce 'imaginative' legislation, such as a one-sentence bill to defund Border Patrol operations in cities like Minneapolis or within a certain distance from the border. This strategy aims to break Trump's 'hammerlock' on the Republican Congress by forcing them to take a public stance on these controversial actions.

Bill Crystal states, 'If Congress does nothing, Congress is okay in this... Inactivity by Congress in this case means they're okay with the Border Patrol and ICE doing what they're doing.' He proposes legislation like 'The Border Patrol must leave it. there will be no funding for the border patrol in Minneapolis.'