Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Brad Tabke posted over 20 updates to his X account Thursday documenting ICE agent sightings across Shakopee, Prior Lake, and Savage — suburbs about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Throughout the day, Tabke shared the real-time locations of ICE agents and vehicles, including sightings near gas stations, a Panera, and shopping centers in the Southbridge area. Tabke also described how to identify unmarked ICE vehicles. (RELATED: DHS Says ICE Agent Shoots Man After Being Ambushed In Minneapolis)
“Every other car on Marschall and 101 today is ICE if you know what to look for: Missing front or front & back plate … Out of state plates … Tinted windows … Vests/tactical gear,” he wrote.
Every other car on Marschall and 101 today is ICE if you know what to look for:
* Missing front or front & back plate
* Out of state plates
* Tinted windows
* Vests / tactical gear— Brad Tabke (@BradTabke) January 15, 2026
In another post, Tabke wrote that “law enforcement should be transparent, follow the law, and not be a force of fear and intimidation.”
Tabke defended his actions on X as “protected by the Constitution of the United States of America,” which he’s “sworn to uphold.”
The lawmaker also operated a sign-up website called “ICE Watch” allowing supporters to report agent sightings, according to independent journalist Sarah Fields. Fields said the site has since been deleted.
Last week, I reported that a group of organized activists is being led by Democratic state elected official Rep. Brad Tabke, who operates semi-private networks that dispatch activists to ICE operations. They are doing this openly with sign-up websites.
Tabke’s site, “ICE Watch,”… pic.twitter.com/80f7oz81ZT
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) January 13, 2026
Several online conservative commentators have called for Tabke’s resignation and arrest, including American Tribune cofounder Jason Robertson — who called for a RICO charge “if we had the will to do so” — as well as Libs of TikTok.
Whether Tabke’s actions are legally protected remains an open question. Six legal experts told Reuters in September that surveillance of ICE is largely protected under the First Amendment, so long as activists don’t interfere with agents’ work. Federal circuit courts have repeatedly affirmed the right to record law enforcement in public spaces.
However, the legal line is narrower than simple observation. Sophia Cope, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Reuters that it can get “dicey” when activists are “recording ICE and telling people where they are with the intent to have people avoid ICE or have people physically interfere with ICE.”
Under federal law, “shield[ing] from detection” illegal immigrants — including through warnings about impending enforcement actions — can constitute harboring, which carries up to ten years in prison.
Tabke has served non-consecutive terms in the Minnesota House, first representing District 55A from 2019 to 2021 before losing reelection. He returned in 2023 representing the redrawn District 54A and won reelection in 2024 by just 15 votes. He currently co-chairs the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Energy Finance and Policy and Public Safety Finance and Policy committees, according to the legislature’s website. His occupation is listed as “consultant.”
The posts come amid heightened tensions following the Jan. 7 death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security claims Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz have disputed that characterization, with Frey calling the claim “bullshit.” Protests demanding ICE leave the state have since taken place in Minneapolis.
Tabke’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
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