MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 29, 2026 — In the wake of two fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month, protesters have adopted a new and provocative tactic: flooding the official ICE tip and information hotline with looped audio from the Nuremberg Trials. Callers reportedly play excerpts of defendants’ “I was just following orders” defenses, prosecutors’ rebuttals, and judges’ guilty verdicts — turning routine inbound lines into a continuous loop of historical condemnation.

The campaign, which began in the hours after the January 24 shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, has been coordinated through activist networks on Signal, Telegram and Discord channels linked to Minneapolis protest groups. Participants say the goal is to force agents and operators to confront the moral and legal implications of “just following orders” when carrying out enforcement actions that have resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renée Nicole Good and Pretti.

Screenshots and short clips shared on X, TikTok and Instagram show callers holding phones up to speakers or using automated dialers to play the audio on repeat. One widely circulated 18-second clip captures a dispatcher attempting to interrupt the recording before hanging up, followed by immediate redial. Organizers claim thousands of calls have been placed since January 25, overwhelming the hotline (1-866-DHS-2-ICE) and forcing some operators to disconnect or place lines on hold for extended periods.

ICE has not released call-volume data or confirmed the scale of the disruption. A department spokesperson described the tactic as “harassment of federal employees performing lawful duties” and said the agency is working with the FBI to identify participants who may have violated federal telephone-harassment statutes (18 U.S.C. § 844). The hotline, primarily intended for reporting suspected immigration violations, is not equipped for high-volume inbound traffic, leading to long hold times and dropped connections even before the protest began.

The Nuremberg reference has drawn sharp criticism from administration officials and some legal scholars. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly called the action “disgraceful and deeply offensive to the memory of Holocaust victims,” arguing it trivializes genocide by equating immigration enforcement to Nazi war crimes. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed that sentiment, stating on X that “comparing ICE agents to Nazis is vile and dangerous rhetoric that puts officers’ lives at risk.”

Civil liberties groups have defended the protesters’ right to engage in symbolic speech. The ACLU of Minnesota issued a statement saying the calls constitute protected political expression and urged ICE to focus on accountability rather than punishing dissent. “When federal agents kill unarmed citizens in our streets, the public has every right to demand answers — loudly,” the statement read.

The tactic has spread beyond Minneapolis. Similar audio barrages have been reported on ICE field-office lines in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, though on a smaller scale. Organizers say they are using open-source VoIP tools and burner numbers to evade blocks, though ICE has begun routing many calls to automated systems that disconnect after detecting prolonged playback.

Public reaction remains deeply polarized. Supporters on social media praise the action as “creative resistance” and “auditory accountability,” with hashtags #NurembergOnTheLine and #ICEHotline trending in activist circles. Critics, including several Republican governors and members of Congress, have called for federal prosecution of organizers under conspiracy-to-harass statutes.

The hotline siege comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE tactics following the Minneapolis deaths. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed suit to halt “Operation Metro Surge,” and a federal judge has ordered preservation of evidence in both shooting cases. Protests outside ICE facilities continue daily, with some demonstrators holding signs quoting Nuremberg prosecutor Robert H. Jackson: “The common sense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people.”

ICE has not indicated whether it plans to shut down or restrict the public hotline. For now, the tactic remains active, with organizers promising to continue “until there is accountability for the killings in our name.”

The Justice Department declined to comment on potential investigations into the calls. As the standoff intensifies, the Nuremberg audio has become both a protest symbol and a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement, federal authority and the limits of dissent.