Immigration and Customs Enforcement just quietly arrested nearly 700 illegal aliens in West Virginia, proving that when state and local law enforcement actually cooperate with federal authorities, immigration enforcement works without riots, chaos, or political theater. ICE announced Friday it had arrested 650 illegal aliens across six West Virginia cities, including individuals accused of child sex abuse, drug possession, child endangerment, and other serious crimes. Funny how that happened without cities being “turned into war zones.”
The operation was carried out by ICE Philadelphia teams, who targeted “hundreds of illegal aliens who present dangers to national security and risks to public safety,” along with those who entered the country illegally or undermined immigration laws. In other words, exactly what ICE is supposed to do.
ICE Director Todd M. Lyons explained the difference between West Virginia and places like Minnesota: “When state and local law enforcement work with ICE, immigration enforcement is seamless — it all takes place behind closed doors between law enforcement professionals, and that’s why the public never hears about it.” He added that when local agencies refuse to cooperate, ICE is forced to make arrests in public, which predictably leads to spectacle and conflict. Arrests will happen either way, Lyons noted, so cooperation keeps communities safer and conserves resources. Revolutionary concept: teamwork.
The operation relied on 287(g) partnerships, which allow state and local law enforcement to assist ICE under federal supervision. Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Hansen praised the agents’ professionalism and how smoothly they worked with local police and residents. Apparently, enforcing the law doesn’t require screaming activists or masked mobs.
Among those arrested was Chinese national Ling Yan, convicted of two counts of endangering the welfare of children and already under a final order of removal. Another was Indian national Sagar Singh, cited for multiple commercial vehicle safety violations under Operation ICE Wall, which targets illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles. ICE arrested more than 25 others for similar offenses earlier this month.
These cases matter. Illegal aliens operating commercial vehicles have killed Americans. In August 2025, DHS identified Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, as the driver who allegedly made an illegal U-turn that killed three Americans. Another illegal alien, Jashanpreet Singh, was charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter and DUI after a crash that killed three people and injured four more. Yet another, Partap Singh, gravely injured a five-year-old girl in a multi-vehicle crash involving a commercial truck.
West Virginia’s leadership chose order over outrage. Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey openly backed ICE’s efforts and praised the 287(g) partnership for removing dangerous illegal immigrants and making the state safer for families and law-abiding citizens. Imagine that—supporting law enforcement instead of sabotaging it.
Minnesota’s Democrat leadership chose the opposite. Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey refuse to cooperate with ICE, even in situations involving serious public safety threats. According to Vice President J.D. Vance, off-duty federal officers have been surrounded by violent mobs while state and local authorities refused to help. That’s not “compassion.” That’s deliberate obstruction.
West Virginia shows what happens when leaders put citizens first. Minnesota shows what happens when leaders put ideology first. One state made 650 arrests without chaos. The other turned routine law enforcement into a political battlefield.
And that’s the real takeaway: when Democrats stop interfering, ICE does its job quietly and effectively. Under President Trump’s leadership, the contrast couldn’t be clearer—law, order, and cooperation work. Manufactured outrage does not.
