Take a moment to inhale deeply—and perhaps repeat this calming exercise a few more times.

As the nation is still grappling with the profound repercussions following George Floyd’s tragic death, we are now on the brink of facing another polarizing incident involving law enforcement that promises to stir intense debate across America.

Footage captured by an amateur in Minneapolis has gone viral, depicting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer firing at a female driver who appeared to accelerate her vehicle toward the agent. This video spread like wildfire, dominating social media feeds and cable news channels on Wednesday.

For the moment, this incident has overshadowed all other news topics, pushing global issues such as the situation in Venezuela or geopolitical discussions about Greenland to the sidelines.

In conversations with several well-informed and thoughtful individuals, I discovered that despite their careful analysis of the various clips depicting the shooting, they have drawn sharply contrasting interpretations of the events.

Self-defense or murder?

An act of domestic terrorism or principled protest?

So far, it appears that where many stand on those questions is untethered from fact, and instead, depends on which political tribe they call their own.

Amateur video out of Minneapolis showing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shooting a female driver as she accelerated toward the agent, exploded across social media and cable news on Wednesday

To Red America, Trump’s deployment of ICE officers into Minneapolis, one of America’s classic liberal places and other deep-blue cities, is the long-delayed arrival of the sheriff to a frontier town overrun by outlaws.

To them, Trump is restoring order where, in their view, progressive mayors have turned bustling metropolises into theme parks for illegal immigrants – equal parts virtue signaling and chaos.

Minneapolis, of course, stands apart from other places where federal agents have been deployed, because of the recent revelations of a $9 billion fraud scandal linked to the local Somali American community.

In this telling, the ICE convoys aren’t instruments of intimidation but rescue vehicles, finally enforcing laws that liberal elites would rather pretend don’t exist.

So, it’s no surprise that the administration is declaring this incident an act of ‘domestic terrorism.’

‘Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them…’ tweeted Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary. There is, of course, no way for the federal government to claim this with any certainty.

Meanwhile, Blue America sees something entirely different: an occupying force rolling across municipal borders with all the subtlety of a drum line in steel boots.

They see a vivid, unsettling spectacle—federal agents sweeping into immigrant neighborhoods, siren lights strobing across murals and bodegas, the whole scene feeling less like a constitutional government at work and more like a strongman flexing on the skyline.

To them, Trump isn’t restoring order but staging a televised power play meant to thrill the faithful while rattling families, destroying communities, humiliating local officials and turning city blocks into props in a national-security melodrama.

‘ICE get the f**k out of Minneapolis’ declared city major Jacob Frey on Wednesday as he dismissed any suggestion that ICE officers acted in self-defense.

‘I can tell you that is bull****,’ he said.

So far, it appears that where many stand on those questions is untethered from fact, and instead, depends on which political tribe they call their own

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed the major on X, writing, ‘I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine.’

They, too, can’t be so sure. 

And struck in the middle of these tribes, seemingly locked in perpetual rhetorical warfare, is the rest of America – the majority, in fact.

Their reaction is a kind of weary squint, a mix of anxiety, resignation and a nagging suspicion that everyone involved is performing for cameras rather than solving problems.

They see cities grappling with real disorder but also fear the erosion of local control; they crave safety but sound of heavy federal boots on neighborhood pavement.

To them, both sides seem locked in a color-war pageant with no thought for the aftercare: Red cheering the cavalry charge, Blue decrying the invasion.

In the coming hours and days, new information will likely raise the temperature higher.

We’ll learn the identity and background of the victim. Same for the ICE agent.

What form will protests take tonight, tomorrow and in the day ahead?

It remains to be seen whether Mayor Frey will seek to expel ICE from his city.

Perhaps the biggest question of all is: Will the state of Minnesota try to arrest the officer? And, if they do, how will Donald Trump respond?

A person places flowers on the site of Wednesday’s shooting. Both sides seem locked in a color-war pageant with no thought for the aftercare: Red cheering the cavalry charge, Blue decrying the invasion

If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans who tend to blame Trump for most everything, it is easy to lay all of this at the White House doorstep. After all, the shooting would not have happened if ICE had not been sent in.

If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans who are grateful that the border has been closed and support the White House’s immigration policies, you likely wonder what kind of person accelerates their car when promoted by law enforcement to exit their vehicle.

Of course, there is a possibility that national leaders find it in themselves to tamp down the wild passions of both sides and America will seek calm and clarity, while an investigation determines the truth.

Based on these early responses, we all need to be prepared for the opposite.