The “Prosecute ICE” statue in the Capitol was destroyed

A “Prosecute ICE” statue commissioned by the veterans organization and displayed on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol was destroyed Thursday by a man who was pardoned for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Jake Lange, Florida U.S. Senate candidate and organizer Anti-Islam demonstration in Minneapolis last monthposted a video on his social media account showing him dropping several letters from the statue that read “Prosecute ICE” to spell “Pro ICE.” This came hours after the veterans held a news conference next to the ice sculpture to express their concerns about a federal immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota. They also urged members of Congress to cut funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

"As a United States Marine, I swore an oath to the Constitution, not a political party; “Not an agency, the Constitution,” veteran Peter McKenzie said around noon Thursday, when the “ICE prosecution” message remained intact. “Peaceful protest is not extremism. It is a moral obligation when power stops policing itself. This is how we awaken the conscience of the nation before injustice becomes normal."

The veterans’ joint defense group said it supports state legislation that would allow people illegally detained by federal agents to file lawsuits over potential violations of their rights. After the ice sculpture was destroyed, Jacob Thomas, the group’s communications director, reiterated the call for federal agents who violate Minnesotans’ constitutional rights to be prosecuted, and said Lange should also be held accountable.

“I have given eight years of my life serving this country in the military,” Thomas said. “For an insurrectionist on January 6 to destroy our parade is an attack on First Amendment veterans like me who fought to defend them.” He said the federal agents who killed Renee McLean Goode and Alex Peretti last month in Minneapolis should be prosecuted.

attic X accountHe was arrested on a felony charge in Ramsey County, Lang said.