'They never show up': Nick Sortor says Minneapolis police failed to respond during anti-ICE protests

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Journalist Nick Sortor accused Minneapolis police of failing to intervene after he and fellow reporter Cam Higby were surrounded by a hostile crowd while covering anti-ICE protests over the weekend. 

Sortor described the encounter during an appearance on 'The Ingraham Angle' Monday saying the situation deteriorated rapidly as demonstrators closed in on his vehicle.

Videos later posted to X show a crowd gathering around the car with Sortor alleging that a left-wing live streamer helped incite the group.

Nick Sortor alleges 'no help despite repeated plea'

Sortor said he remained on the phone with Minneapolis police dispatchers as tensions escalated, repeatedly telling them he feared the crowd was about to turn violent.

“We were on the phone with Minneapolis police and I was telling them, ‘You got to get here,’” Sortor told host Laura Ingraham. “Because if they disable my vehicle or break a window, I don’t have a choice.”

According to Sortor, officers never arrived. “They didn’t show up,” he said. “They never show up.” Sortor said he attempted to de-escalate the situation by giving the crowd time to move away from his vehicle before attempting to leave.

“I gave them about 15 minutes to clear out from in front of my car,” he said, adding that he believed that was sufficient time to avoid a dangerous outcome. In posts on X, Sortor directly criticized Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, suggesting the political climate in the state discourages police intervention during protests.

“The problem is we’re in Tim Walz’s Minnesota,” Sortor wrote, adding that he feared remaining in the state increased the risk of being treated as a political target.

In another post, he claimed Walz would “rather us just die” than confront violent protesters.

Past experiences heighten concerns

Sortor said the Minneapolis confrontation revived fears stemming from a previous incident in Portland, Oregon, where anti-ICE protesters attacked him outside an ICE facility last October.

In that case, Sortor was arrested by Portland police on a disorderly conduct charge despite being the target of the unrest.

Sortor had called Portland a “hell-hole” asking President Donald Trump to step-in.

That history, he said has left him deeply concerned about law enforcement responses in politically charged environments.

The current incident occurred as protests intensified in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent during an enforcement operation earlier in the week.