ABC News Daily How the ICE killings could lead to a civil war
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Jan 27, 2026 
Claire Finkelstein, law and philosophy professor and national security law expert at Penn, gives legal analysis on federal tactics and risks of domestic confrontation. She discusses disturbing footage and public alarm. She examines patterns suggesting deliberate strategies, forensic details of two shootings, and how federalized forces could escalate clashes into wider conflict.
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Patterns Suggest Deliberate Federal Strategy
- Claire Finkelstein argues the federal agents' repeated brutality in Minneapolis looks like a deliberate strategy rather than isolated mistakes.
- She urges a full investigation to understand orders, training, and how agents justify unlawful force.
Victims Framed As Agitators, Not Investigated
- The federal response publicly dismissed victims and framed them as agitators while investigators targeted protesters.
- Finkelstein finds this reversal—investigating victims, praising agents—deeply troubling for accountability.
Federalization Can Rapidly Escalate Conflict
- Finkelstein's civil-war tabletop showed federalization of forces can quickly escalate local clashes into wider conflict.
- She warns that multiple cities repeating this dynamic could pit federal forces against state National Guards loyalties.