Middle school lesson plan tells students ICE uses 'tricky & violent tactics': report

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Friday, February 20, 2026

A Minnesota middle school lesson plan for eighth graders asks students to consider whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have gone “too far,” claiming that the agency is arresting legal immigrants and U.S. citizens, who have reportedly been "dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot.”

Documents released on Monday by the conservative watchdog group Defending Education show that students in a geography class at Hermantown Middle School were shown materials depicting ICE agents allegedly arresting legal citizens and the conditions at detention centers. 

The lesson plan asks students to consider, “In what ways do people think the [ICE] agents have ‘gone too far’?” and “How is President Trump trying to reduce the large number of undocumented immigrants as promised in his election campaign?” 

Regarding the Trump administration's immigration policies, the material notes that the federal government is “Spending $170 billion taxpayer dollars to hire 20,000+ additional I.C.E. agents to find and deport them.”

In July 2025, President Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a budget reconciliation bill. The OBBBA allocates nearly $170 billion in supplemental funding over four years, which is available until Sept. 30, 2026.

One of the slides included in the lesson plan says about ICE agents: “Some use tricky & violent tactics. 22 people died in ICE custody so far in 2025. Not filing paperwork to track arrests. Wearing masks to hide identities.” Another slide claims, “ICE has Arrested &/or harassed thousands of LEGAL immigrants and 170 U.S. citizens — including being dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot.”

Students were also encouraged to watch a 20-minute video on ICE and immigration for extra credit, according to Defending Education's report.

Regarding the lesson plan for eighth-grade students, the middle school principal insisted that the content aligns with the state’s standards. The school’s website shows the principal is William Wietman.

“All of our social studies classes have a current events component to them, and this information is part of the MN standards in geography,” the principal stated in an email shared by Defending Education. 

The principal cited the state’s academic standards, specifically, Substrand 2: Places and Regions. According to the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies, released in 2021, one of the standards for eighth-grade level geography is that students understand how places and regions are “influenced by power structures.”

Defending Education expressed concern that the middle school’s geography lesson plan exposes students to a one-sided political perspective, despite the principal’s reassurances that it complies with state standards.

"It's bad enough that this biased lesson is replete with falsehoods — but the school principal to defend such garbage truly adds insult to injury,” Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, said in a statement provided to The Christian Post.

“Students are being force-fed ideological propaganda during finite lesson time (when they're not being encouraged by activist teachers to walk out of their classrooms, that is) and told what to think, rather than how to think. It's little wonder that families are fleeing the public education system in droves,” Neily added.

The Christian Post reached out to the school district for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.

In a statement, Hermantown Community Schools Superintendent Wayne Whitwam told The New York Post that the school staff "strive to share both viewpoints on an issue" and accused Defending Education of only "showing one side" and not including a "pro-ICE video shared by the same teacher.”

Whitwam declined to share the “pro-ICE” video with The New York Post but pointed to Minnesota Association of School Administrators guidelines that prohibit instructors from using their school platforms for “personal political messages” or to “display partisan materials.”

The controversy emerges amid ongoing debates and tensions over immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, with tensions escalating following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in January. 

According to statements from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and White House officials, enforcement efforts resulted in the arrest of thousands of illegal immigrants in Minnesota — which include murderers, rapists, gang members and individuals who harmed children — since Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025. 

Opponents of the immigration operations in Minnesota have questioned the legality of enforcement tactics and agents’ use of force. Meanwhile, refugee resettlement organizations have voiced concern about a new federal review that could impact thousands of refugees legally resettled in the U.S. during the Biden administration. 

Earlier this month, White House began drawing down enforcement measures in Minnesota. Border czar Tom Homan said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota, while hundreds more will depart in the coming days. 

Homan had previously announced that 700 federal immigration agents would be immediately withdrawn from Minnesota’s enforcement operation. According to Homan, the decision to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota followed discussions he had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and various law enforcement officials.

The discussions focused on community safety and increasing coordination between county jails and immigration officers.

Homan also said at the time that an “unprecedented” number of counties are communicating with the administration and allowing immigration officers to take criminal illegal aliens into custody.

While the border czar acknowledged that operations in Minnesota haven't been "perfect," he said that they've "created one unified chain of command to make sure everybody is on the same page."