red whistle

Andrea Austria/Media Matters

Right-wing media figures are furious at activists for using whistles during ICE activity

Written by Payton Armstrong

Published

Right-wing media figures are lashing out at community members in Minnesota for using whistles to alert others of federal immigration enforcement in the area, asserting that whistles should be “considered a violent weapon” and that their use constitutes “interference” with immigration enforcement operations or even “assault.”

Activists and residents have explained that whistles are “a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras when enforcement activity happens in neighborhoods.” Bystander video, which has sometimes contradicted official Department of Homeland Security statements, has become critical in multiple recent incidents like the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whom DHS officials initially baselessly accused of being domestic terrorists.

  • Bystanders using whistles have become ubiquitous with immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis — in part as “a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras”

    • ICE operations in Minneapolis have transformed everyday life for residents with the killing of two U.S. citizens, the detainment of thousands of migrants and community members, and reports of widespread use of force and chemical irritants like pepper balls and tear gas on crowds. NBC News reported that “since December, the surge of federal immigration personnel to Minnesota led to the apprehensions of more than 3,000 migrants in what the Department of Homeland Security has called ‘the largest immigration enforcement operation ever.’” During that time, two U.S. citizens — Alex Pretti and Renee Good — were shot and killed by masked federal agents just weeks apart; at least four children were apprehended by ICE, two while they were on their way to school; and federal agents have “regularly deploy[ed] chemical irritants to deter observers and protesters.” [NBC News, 1/27/26; MPR News, 1/28/26; CNN, 1/20/26]
    • The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that “the sight and sound of whistles have become common around the Twin Cities amid the ongoing immigration operation and organized resistance.” CBS News reported that “organizers and volunteers say the whistles are meant to be an attention grabber and a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras when enforcement activity happens in neighborhoods.” Community members and local businesses, including a toy store and a bar, have reportedly given away thousands. [The Minnesota Star Tribune, 1/20/26; CBS News, 1/14/26; MinnPost, 12/15/25]
    • Stella Carlson, who recorded critical video of agents shooting and killing Pretti, told CNN that she decided to come to the scene after hearing whistles while driving to work. Carlson’s video contradicted initial DHS statements that Pretti “brandished” a gun at agents, and according to CNN, “Carlson’s video, and the ensuing outrage surrounding Pretti’s killing, placed the Trump administration under immense pressure that eventually led to the White House pulling Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official who had led the surge in Minneapolis and several other American cities, out of Minnesota.” Carlson explained to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper why she personally carries a whistle, saying: “When we walk around with the whistles around our neck, it's not that we have — like we know we can't do much. But what we do know is that we can let our community at large know when we're walking around, like, I see you. And if you're stuck in your apartment, I want you to see me. I'm another person walking around who is here to protect you as best I can with my whistle and my phone.” [CNN, 1/28/26, 1/25/26]
    • Attorney Tracy Roy told The Minnesota Star Tribune that while physically intervening with ICE activity is illegal, “bystanders certainly can make noise, blow whistles and alert presence.” [The Minnesota Star Tribune, 1/20/26]

  • Right-wing media figures claimed whistles “should be considered a violent weapon” and that their use amounts to “interference” or possibly “assault”

    • Right-wing podcaster Megyn Kelly claimed that people blowing whistles constituted “interference” and “contributed to the chaotic atmosphere that ultimately led Alex Pretti to die.” Kelly said: “We don't know if Alex Pretti was sent to that area specifically by these anti-ICE agitators or whether he was officially part of the group. But some on that street were because they had the telltale signal of whistleblowing, which is their favorite thing. And by the way, that needs to stop. Now, some are saying that's fine. That actually is interference. You — if you came out on your front lawn and just blew a coach's whistle at the top of your lungs all day, you would be cited by the police under the local noise ordinances. It would be a disturbance of the peace. That's what these people are doing. And no doubt they contributed to the chaotic atmosphere that ultimately led Alex Pretti to die.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 1/26/26]
    • Right-wing streamer Steven Crowder said that women on the scene of Pretti’s killing had “arguably commit[ed] assault against the officers with whistles in the ears.” Crowder: “Those women absolutely went out of their way to cross the street and arguably commit assault against the officers with whistles in the ears.” [Rumble, Louder with Crowder, 1/26/26]
    • Right-wing influencer Mike Cernovich said that whistles used by activists “should be considered a violent weapon.” Cernovich reportedly posted on social media: “From smoke alarms to those hearing loss causing machines that terrorists use against ICE. Tbh those things should be considered a violent weapon. They damage hearing for life.” [The Independent, 1/26/26]
    • Conservative radio host Buck Sexton reportedly replied to Cernovich’s post and wrote, “All true.” [The Independent, 1/26/26]
    • Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, Lora Ries, also reportedly replied to Cernovich’s post and said that whistles “are NOT speech.” [The Independent, 1/26/26]
    • White nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes said protesters “blowing whistles” creates a “confusing, dangerous environment when you can't hear, when you can't see.” Fuentes: “You're asking ICE officers to go and fight these animals and potentially die, potentially get shot in the face. They're being put in an impossible situation. They go out there, they're being chased, they're being harassed, they're being overwhelmed. Protesters are blowing whistles. It's a confusing, dangerous environment when you can't hear, when you can't see.” [Rumble, America First, 1/27/26; Media Matters, 12/19/25]
    • The host of the right-wing Spanish language program Mucho Que Decir said that “blowing whistles” constitutes “being an obstructionist.” Discussing the killing of Alex Pretti, the host said, “It is presumed that he was monitoring ICE duties and then saw some illegal immigrants, wanted to warn them by blowing whistles, being an obstructionist as usual. And had a close encounter with ICE agents, they knocked him down and broke his rib, but not content with that, he continued on the rampage. In other words, this man was not just a pedestrian filming what was going on in Minneapolis." [La Nueva Poderosa, Mucho Que Decir, 1/27/26]
    • The Washington Times editorial board criticized “antifa-style agitators” blowing whistles “to obstruct immigration enforcement,” saying that “paid provocateurs are tracking ICE operations and deliberately interfering.” [The Washington Times, 1/26/26]
    • Right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec lamented that “agitators” are “blowing the whistles.” Posobiec’s guest, Andrew Branca, suggested federal agents were justified in shooting Pretti, saying that “the law of self-defense doesn't require perfect decision-making,” and agents had to make decisions in a “very stressful, life-threatening, compressed timeframe.” Posobiec replied: “In reality, in this situation, what these activists have done — and by the way, what these agitators are doing on purpose and deliberately. They're blowing the whistles. They're getting in the street. They're getting in the way.” [Real America’s Voice, Human Events Daily, 1/26/26]