The Whip Count
MN-06 Daily: February 11, 2026
Emmer’s heaviest day yet — 14 posts, zero about Minnesota — while ICE agents crashed cars and tackled teenagers back home.
14 posts. 5 on voter ID. 5 on fentanyl. 0 about the crash at Nina’s.
919 days since Rep. Emmer’s last in-person town hall
What Emmer Talked About
Rep. Emmer posted at least 14 times on February 11 — his heaviest day since MN-06 Watch began tracking. Five posts were about the SAVE Act ahead of the House vote. Five more arrived in a late-afternoon thread attacking Democrats for voting to rescind President Trump’s Northern Border National Emergency. Two escalated the Minnesota fraud narrative. One endorsed a congressional candidate. One was about women’s sports.
SAVE Act / Voter ID (5 posts): Emmer shared a Tea Party Patriots endorsement of the bill, cited an 80% polling figure for voter ID, amplified Rep. Chip Roy’s support, promoted the CLARITY Act for digital assets alongside SAVE, and pushed for passage ahead of the House vote. This was Emmer functioning as Majority Whip — publicly whipping votes for the bill in real time.
Northern Border / Fentanyl (5 posts, 2:38 PM thread): Emmer posted a thread attacking House Democrats for voting to rescind the Northern Border National Emergency. He claimed “enough fentanyl to kill 9.5 million Americans crossed the northern border in 2024,” cited an 80% increase in fentanyl seizures in 2025, and accused Democrats of “trying to harm American lives” and “playing with American lives.” He also folded in the DHS shutdown narrative, accusing Democrats of planning to defund the agency “tasked with intercepting deadly drugs.”
Fraud narrative (2 posts): Emmer attacked Gov. Walz over a quote minimizing fraud, and responded to President Trump sharing his content by calling media, Walz, Rep. Omar, and AG Ellison “complicit” in “BILLIONS in fraud.” This is notable: tomorrow, Emmer will sit on the same witness panel as Ellison at the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing.
Congressional endorsement (1 post): Emmer endorsed Mark Teixeira for Congress alongside President Trump.
Women’s sports (1 post): Emmer posted about protecting women athletes.
Note: Of Emmer’s 14 posts, 12 were about immigration enforcement, voter ID, fraud, or fentanyl. Zero mentioned Minnesota by name.
The Gaetz Show — February 10
In addition to his C-SPAN appearance on February 10 (covered in yesterday’s daily), Emmer also appeared on The Matt Gaetz Show podcast the same day. In a five-minute interview, Emmer repeated his now-familiar rhetoric and added several notable claims.
“They’re quiet, which is good.” When Gaetz asked whether things in Minnesota were “getting better or worse,” Emmer’s answer was that they’re “quiet.” The next morning, ICE agents caused a three-car crash outside Nina’s Coffee Cafe in St. Paul and two schools went into lockdown protocols.
“Rapists… murderers… pedophiles and drug dealers.” The same language he used at the C-SPAN stakeout earlier that day. Two national appearances, same rhetoric. The “reduce the rhetoric” version from his February 6 Fox 9 interview is gone.
“Thank President Trump. We want the federal officers here.” Emmer claimed this is what he hears at home in MN-06. He also said constituents are “offering to feed” and “offering to house” ICE agents. These claims are unverified and run counter to documented reporting about business closures, enrollment drops, and community fear across the Twin Cities metro.
5% GDP growth claim. Emmer predicted first-quarter 2026 GDP growth of “5% or better,” saying it would put Republicans in a strong position to hold the House. He cited 4.3% and 4.4% growth in Q3 and Q4 2025, though he acknowledged the Q4 figure “has been revised down a bit.”
DHS shutdown blame. Emmer blamed Democrats for holding up TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA funding, calling the judicial warrant requirement for ICE operations “mass amnesty for illegals.”
Full transcript available at mn06watch.com/transcripts. Source: YouTube.
What Emmer Didn’t Talk About
ICE high-speed chase and crash at Nina’s Coffee Cafe, St. Paul — today. Federal agents pursued a man in a red Toyota Prius through residential streets in St. Paul this morning. The Prius crashed at the intersection of Selby and Western avenues around 9:30 a.m., damaging two other vehicles. The man fled on foot and was caught. A woman in one of the other cars was hospitalized after her airbag deployed. A Minnesota Reformer witness reported that the federal agent “got out of his car to pursue the man, not checking on others in the wreck.” A federal vehicle at the scene had Texas plates. Two nearby public schools initiated “secure” protocols. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her: “This is just another incident that tells us loud and clear: Operation Metro Surge needs to end immediately.” (MPR News, Minnesota Reformer, Bring Me The News, FOX 9, KARE 11, WCCO)
ICE courthouse arrest chaos — yesterday. Plain-clothed federal agents tackled 18-year-old Junior de Jesus Herrera Berrios in the lobby of the Hennepin County Government Center after a court hearing on first-degree drug possession charges. Bystanders surrounded the agents, blew whistles, and followed them out of the building. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty: “Using local government courthouses for federal civil immigration enforcement interferes with the administration of justice, prevents witnesses from testifying and robs victims of their opportunity to seek justice.” Her office reported that some staff members were afraid to leave their offices for fear of racial profiling. (Star Tribune, FOX 9, Bring Me The News, CBS Minnesota)
“Even if ICE left tomorrow, the damage to kids is already done.” Laura Yuen’s column in the Star Tribune today documented the psychological toll on children in immigrant families. Fermin’s family in Shakopee has not left their house in two months. His daughters can’t attend school, swim at the Y, or go out for ice cream. The piece details escalating anxiety, children screaming at night, and the compounding educational harm as English-language learners fall further behind. (Star Tribune, February 11, 2026)
Gov. Walz: Operation Metro Surge ending in “days, not weeks.” The governor said Tuesday he spoke with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and border official Tom Homan and expects a drawdown announcement by the end of the week. Business owners said recovery will take months. (MPR News, CBS Minnesota, MinnPost)
Boundary Waters Senate vote — slipping to week of February 23. Outdoor News reports the Senate vote on H.J. Res. 140, which would overturn a 20-year ban on copper mining near the Boundary Waters, may slip to the week of February 23. Emmer voted YES when it passed the House 214–208 on January 21. Environmental groups note sulfide-ore copper mining has a 100% track record of polluting water. The resolution would benefit Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining giant Antofagasta. Still no word from Emmer to his constituents. (Outdoor News, Field & Stream, NRDC, 5 Calls, Earthjustice)
Senate hearing — tomorrow. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, will hold an oversight hearing Thursday, February 12 at 9:00 AM EST. Panel 1: Emmer, Minnesota House GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska, AG Keith Ellison, and MN Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. Panel 2: Heads of USCIS, ICE (Todd Lyons), and CBP. This is the hearing where Emmer will sit across from the man he called “complicit” in “BILLIONS in fraud” less than 24 hours earlier. (Senate HSGAC media advisory)
The Escalation — Continued
Yesterday we tracked the trajectory of Emmer’s rhetoric from February 4 through February 10. Today adds two more data points.
February 10 — The Matt Gaetz Show (podcast):
Same day as the C-SPAN stakeout. When asked about Minnesota, Emmer said things are “quiet, which is good.” He repeated “rapists… murderers… pedophiles and drug dealers” and claimed constituents are offering to feed and house ICE agents. He called the judicial warrant requirement “mass amnesty for illegals.”
February 11 — Twitter (14 posts):
The heaviest single-day posting since we began tracking. Five posts whipping votes for the SAVE Act. A five-post thread attacking Democrats over the Northern Border National Emergency, accusing them of “playing with American lives.” A Trump retweet. And a direct attack naming Walz, Omar, Ellison, and the media as “complicit” in fraud — the day before he sits on a witness panel with Ellison at a Senate hearing.
The pattern is now unmistakable. On local media, Emmer is the concerned neighbor. On national media, he’s the attack dog. On social media, he’s the whip. And the rhetoric only escalates as the audience moves further from Minnesota.
The Questions
1. You posted 14 times on February 11 — about voter ID, fentanyl, fraud, and Democrats. ICE agents caused a three-car crash in St. Paul the same morning. Why did one earn 14 posts and the other earn zero?
2. You called Gov. Walz, AG Ellison, Rep. Omar, and the media “complicit” in “BILLIONS in fraud” on February 11. On February 12, you will testify alongside Ellison at a Senate hearing. Will you repeat that claim to his face?
3. On February 10, you told Matt Gaetz that things in Minnesota are “quiet, which is good.” Fewer than 18 hours later, ICE agents caused a multi-car crash in a residential neighborhood and two schools went into lockdown. Do you still believe things are “quiet”?
4. You cited 80% public support for voter ID. The Brennan Center estimates 21 million Americans lack ready access to the documents the SAVE Act requires. How many of those 21 million are in MN-06?
5. You told Matt Gaetz that constituents are “offering to feed” and “offering to house” ICE agents. Can you name a single MN-06 constituent who has done so?
6. You posted that “enough fentanyl to kill 9.5 million Americans crossed the northern border in 2024.” You represent a district that shares no border with Canada. Have you met with any MN-06 families affected by fentanyl? Or is this about the vote count, not the body count?
These questions were sent to Rep. Emmer’s office on February 10, 2026. We will update this post with any response received.
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Sources
Emmer tweets: @GOPMajorityWhip and @TomEmmer, February 11, 2026
The Matt Gaetz Show: Podcast, February 10, 2026 (YouTube) (MN-06 Watch Transcript)
C-SPAN: House Leadership Stakeout, February 10, 2026 (YouTube) (MN-06 Watch Transcript)
Nina’s Coffee crash: MPR News, Minnesota Reformer (Alyssa Chen), Bring Me The News, FOX 9, KARE 11, WCCO, February 11, 2026
Courthouse arrest: Star Tribune (Andy Mannix/Anthony Soufflé), FOX 9, Bring Me The News, CBS Minnesota, February 10, 2026
Children’s trauma: Laura Yuen, Star Tribune, February 11, 2026
Gov. Walz: MPR News, CBS Minnesota, MinnPost, February 10–11, 2026
Senate hearing: Senate HSGAC media advisory (hsgac.senate.gov)
SAVE Act: Congress.gov (H.R. 22); Brennan Center for Justice; Campaign Legal Center; CNBC; The Hill; NACo
Northern Border National Emergency: @GOPMajorityWhip thread, February 11, 2026, 2:38 PM
Boundary Waters: H.J. Res. 140 (214–208, Jan. 21, 2026); Outdoor News; Field & Stream; NRDC; 5 Calls; Earthjustice
Fraud hearings: House Oversight Committee (Jan. 7, 2026); emmer.house.gov; KARE 11; NBC News
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Thank you for this excellent level of detail. Tom Emmer’s tireless accusations without providing any detail or proof is simply spewed vitriol. It’s become the only tactic for weak Republicans.