Far-right influencer and US Senate candidate arrested for damaging anti-ICE sculpture

The far-right influencer and US Senate candidate Jake Lang has been arrested after recording himself damaging an anti-ICE sculpture at Minnesota’s capitol amid the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s crackdown there.

On 5 February, Lang, who received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump over his role in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol, posted a video on X of himself kicking down the sculpture, which was made from ice – as in, frozen water. His efforts changed it from reading “Prosecute ICE” to “Pro ICE”, referring to the federal agency.

Local authorities arrested Lang that same day and jailed the Florida resident on suspicion of criminal damage to property, which is classified as a felony.

A veterans organization, Common Defense, had commissioned the ice sculpture and installed it on the steps of Minnesota’s state capitol in St Paul. The group had obtained permits for the display.

“I gave eight years of my life in service to this country in the military,” Common Defense’s communications director, Jacob Thomas, said in a statement, as reported by the local news station Fox 9. Referring to the constitutional right to free speech, Thomas’s statement continued: “For a [January 6] insurrectionist to destroy our display is an attack on the First Amendment veterans like me fought to defend.”

Lang’s arrest came after he tried to organize an anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-ICE demonstration in Minneapolis back in January, saying on social media that he intended to “burn a Qur’an” on the steps of city hall.

Only a small number of people showed up for Lang’s demonstration, which came 10 days after a federal immigration agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, which is adjacent to St Paul, on 7 January. Hundreds of counter-protesters converged at the site, yelling over Lang’s attempts to speak and chasing the pro-ICE group away.

Lang appeared to be injured as he left the scene, with bruises and scrapes on his head.

Federal immigration agents then set off more protests against them by fatally shooting Alex Pretti – who, like Good, was a 37-year-old US citizen – in Minneapolis on 24 January.

Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes during the January 6 attack carried out by Trump supporters at the US Capitol after his presidency ended in defeat to Joe Biden. Lang then received clemency from Trump at the beginning of his second presidency, along with more than 1,000 others who had been charged with or convicted for roles in the January 6 attack.

In March 2025, Lang announced he was running for the US Senate during the 2026 midterm elections in the fall.