In the struggle against ICE, the majority of Minnesota residents want ICE agents to leave their state. Yet there are always those in the minority, such as people like Jake Lang. This person has become quite infamous as of late. Initially, he gained attention on the internet after attempting to hold a rally against an anti-ICE demonstration. He later caused a ruckus at a bar before being kicked out.
Jake Lang’s most recent incident involved him being arrested after damaging a sculpture at the Minnesota State Capitol. On a tweet on X, he shared a video in which he expressed his support for ICE while wearing an ICE agent costume. He then said that America is for Americans, not for Somalians. Following this, Jake Lang ran toward the “Prosecute ICE” sculpture installed in front of the Minnesota State Capitol and broke it with his foot. He began damaging some of the letters so that it would instead read “Pro ICE.”
His actions led to his arrest and charges for $6,000 in damages. He is currently being held at Ramsey County Jail. The veterans’ organization that commissioned the sculpture was not impressed with what Jake Lang did in Minnesota. They stated that they were merely expressing their criticism of ICE peacefully. The group’s communications director, Jacob Thomas, called Jake Lang a Jan. 6 insurrectionist and said that his actions were an attack on the First Amendment, which veterans had fought hard to protect.
Online, many people were also critical of what Jake Lang did to the sculpture at the Minnesota State Capitol. “Is he in jail yet?” one user asked. Others mocked him for his attempt at bravado, pointing out that the internet had clearly seen him acting fearful when surrounded by angry Minnesota residents after his rally attempt failed, with only around ten people showing up.
Many posted photos of him crying during the failed rally event in response to the sculpture defacement video he shared on X. “I hope this dork just keeps coming back and getting whacked in a new way every other week. Jake vs. the state of Minnesota ongoing series,” one user said.
Of course, there are also people who sided with Jake Lang and viewed his actions in Minnesota as completely justified. One commenter, who claimed to be a veteran, wrote, “GREAT WORK!!! Glad you pissed off the losers that created it in the first place. You turned it into a work of art!!”
