Is the US preparing for Civil War?

Is the US preparing for Civil War?

Each day I wake up to the news, and I wonder if the Great American Empire of the United States has begun its descent into ruin as all great empires eventually do.

The country that raised me never fails to shock me, and it has certainly shocked me recently as it appears to be positioning itself for a war footing… with itself.

But is this all the result of propaganda and fear-mongering, or have the first shots already been fired?

Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying that the Trump era of politics, beginning in 2016 and continuing through his 2024 return to the office, has been a particularly chaotic one. To some degree, this should be expected as Trump is a populist and therefore challenging the existing establishment. He has also undeniably been successful in that, redefining what presidential power can mean.

Unfortunately, this strategy necessarily involved pitting Democrats and Republicans more against each other than they already were. Since then, tensions have only continued to increase, and they reached a boiling point in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Shots Heard Around The Nation

Renée Nicole Good was a 37-year-old American woman acting as an observer at an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis. On January 7th, 2026, she attempted to exit the scene in her vehicle, the car veered toward an Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) agent, Jonathan Ross, and he shot her three times, killing her instantly. (Graphic: footage of the Good shooting.)

Alex Pretti was another 37-year-old American citizen and an ICU nurse attending a Minneapolis protest on January 24th, 2026. In an altercation with agents, where Pretti was seen holding his phone camera, agents pepper-sprayed him, dragged him to the ground, disarmed him of his legally owned firearm, and shot him as many as 10 times until he stopped moving. (Graphic: footage of the Pretti shooting.)

I spent hours analyzing each of these shootings as more and more video angles began to appear, because I just couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. Two US citizens were killed by  Immigration Enforcement officers in 17 days, and the political lines were drawn before the bodies were even cold.

They immediately became political and broadcast to every network, with republicans and democrats alike jumping to their narratives before all of the facts came out.

To make matters worse, members of the Trump Administration, notably including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, and even Vice President J.D. Vance, explicitly argued that Renée Good and Alex Pretti were “domestic terrorist(s)” or “assassins” and their murders somehow justified.

According to recent reporting from The Guardian, back on October 4, 2025, there was a similar shooting of a US Citizen Marimar Martinez, by a border patrol agent in Chicago.
Just hours after the shooting, Border Patrol Commander Geg Bovino reportedly texted the agent responsible:
“In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!”

Immediately following the shooting of Pretti, protests broke out around the agents responsible, and after a tense standoff, they were forced to deploy pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Within a week, blockades were being built up in the street.

Breaking News Updates and Continued Escalations

Even as I begin writing the first draft of this article on February 5, journalists with the Meidas Touch are live-streaming outside the Minneapolis Hotel housing ICE agents as protestors surround the block and 30+ police officers in full riot gear.

In their own right, the protestors are equipped with megaphones, cameras, gas masks, and all manner of makeshift gear. As of 10:37 PM, it remains peaceful, though tensions continue to increase as chants of “whose streets? Our Streets!” can be heard echoing down the block.

While tonight’s protest remains peaceful, one just two weeks earlier on January 25th was anything but when a crowd of angry protestors stormed the same Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis. According to reporting from the New York Post, at least two agents were assaulted and bloodied before additional federal reinforcement arrived and subdued the crowd with flashbangs, tear gas, and other chemical agents.

A Ceasefire Reached

On January 27th, Border Czar Tom Homan took over the Border Patrol Commander at Large Position from Gregory Bovino. Homan, who is far less outwardly violent in his tactics and rhetoric than Bovino, has seemingly reached a deal with Minnesota’s Democratic representatives and Governor Tim Walz.

This follows Walz calling out the state’s National Guard with several goals, including protecting citizens from unruly federal agents. This set the ground for an unprecedented power struggle between the Federal Government’s Authority and the States Individual Rights. Instead, National Guards men and women handed out pizza and drinks.

This deal included concessions on both sides. For instance, it required the state of Minnesota to report all high-risk illegal immigrants who were being released from their jails. Something no American should have a problem with.

On the other hand, Department of Homeland Security agents were ordered by Homan to avoid confrontations with ‘agitators’. Again, this is something everyone should support.

Still, it raises the question: If they could have done this the whole time, was the violence we saw over the past months just part of some negotiation tactic?

According to reporting by Fox News, the latest update as of Thursday, February 12. Operation Metro Surge, which focused on Minnesota, is being concluded. This directive that comes from Tom Homan will see 700 federal agents leaving the state.

Critics of ICE see this as a major victory, but Homan and other Trump Administration officials say that their operation was a success.

Thankfully, the United States isn’t at war with itself – yet. But each new confrontation turns up the heat. And it becomes clearer by the day that there are people, both in public and behind the scenes, who want this to happen.

My advice to you is this, plagiarized from an old saying, “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” History works in cycles, and each day I am more sure that the globe has slipped into a period of chaos, not unlike the 1920s. As Americans, we must collectively, and as individuals, look at ourselves in the mirror and decide what future we want for the country.

By Gonzzo