Kyle Wagner spent the weekend telling 36,000 followers to grab their guns and hunt down federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
He distributed gas masks, called for "guerrilla war," and promised to fight "to the bitter end."
Then something happened that changed everything – and now Wagner's begging for money while claiming the Trump administration is coming for him.
Kyle Wagner Deleted Instagram and Social Media After Calling For 'Guerrilla War' Against ICE
Monday afternoon, Wagner posted a final video claiming "they're going to silence me."
Then he vanished.
Every social media account gone. His Venmo shut down. His 36,000-follower Instagram deleted.
The "master hate-baiter" – his own words – who spent Saturday demanding armed men "do what needs to be done" against federal agents is now claiming he's "on the run" and needs cash to fund his escape.
His crime?
Telling followers to get "boots on the ground" with firearms after Border Patrol shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital, during a confrontation Saturday.
Federal officials initially said Pretti approached immigration agents with a 9mm handgun and resisted when they tried to disarm him, though bystander video raises questions about the government's account.
"I need boots on the ground and I need them prepared to do what needs to be done so that this does not cost more innocent lives," Wagner said in one video.
In another, he declared there's "actual guerrilla war in our streets."
Wagner's response wasn't to call for investigations or peaceful protest.
It was to mobilize an armed mob.
"Get your f***ing guns and stop these f***ing people," he told followers in a video posted Saturday.
He called federal immigration officers "Nazi gunmen" and "fascist occupiers" who are "killing innocent people in the street with impunity."
Wagner even acknowledged in a separate video that he can't legally possess firearms himself – but encouraged everyone who could to "show up" armed.
"You are killing people in the streets for waving cameras in your faces and calling you little b****es like you are," Wagner said, referring to federal agents.
"So, gloves off then, right?"
Antifa's Violent History: From ICE Employee Doxing To Armed Attacks On Federal Agents
This isn't new territory for Antifa.
The movement has spent years attacking federal agents, particularly ICE officers, with tactics ranging from doxing to direct assault.
In June 2018, an Antifa-linked Twitter account doxed at least 1,500 ICE employees – publishing home addresses, phone numbers, and family information – subjecting them to violent threats and harassment.
In July 2019, William Van Spronsen, a self-proclaimed Antifa supporter, attempted to firebomb the ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.
Police killed him during the attack.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to Congress that Antifa members "coalesce regionally into small groups or nodes and they are certainly organized at that level" – proving these aren't random acts but coordinated operations.
During the 2020 riots following George Floyd's death, Antifa groups organized violence in multiple cities, with organizers pre-positioning medics, bail funds, and tactical gear in anticipation of clashes with police.
Trump designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization in September 2025 following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, directing federal agencies to "investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations" by the movement.
Wagner's call to arms fits a decades-long pattern of left-wing activists escalating from "deplatforming" to property damage to direct violent confrontation – all while claiming they're the victims.
Former GOP Chair: 'Wannabe Influencers' Are Exacerbating Minneapolis Crisis
Shawn Holster, former chair of the Minneapolis GOP, told Fox News Digital that Wagner "has never experienced an interaction with law enforcement in the past."
"I make of it as the primary problem that we're having in Minneapolis right now, which is the unprecedented influx of wannabe influencers," Holster said.
"You get rid of the influencers or the so-called influencers, 80% of the tensions in Minneapolis go away."
Wagner was among the mob that descended on a Hilton hotel Sunday night where protesters believed ICE agents were staying.
The riot left one federal officer bloodied after an agitator allegedly bit off his finger, and the hotel lobby destroyed.
Wagner called it "some fun downtown with the icy boys" in a since-deleted video.
He returned Monday afternoon to hand out dozens more gas masks to eager agitators, according to videos posted before his account went dark.
"They're the ones exacerbating this," Holster added.
In his farewell video Monday, Wagner claimed his calls for "direct action" "were deemed inciting violence" and complained "they're being bullied by the administration clearly."
He announced he has "safe places and evacuations planned out" but warned "I'm going to have to be very resourceful, and that's going to take support."
Translation: Send money.
"As I've said a million times, I am going to stay in this fight to the bitter end," Wagner said.
"I'm not gonna run away, but I will need some help."
His Venmo – which had been prominently featured in his Instagram bio alongside the hashtag "#IronFront" and his preferred pronouns – is no longer accepting donations.
Two anti-ICE protesters have been killed by federal immigration agents this month.
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, died during a January 7 confrontation after federal authorities said she tried to "weaponize" her vehicle against ICE agents in her neighborhood.
President Trump confirmed Sunday that his administration is "reviewing everything" regarding the Pretti shooting.
"I don't like any shooting. I don't like it," Trump said, but added that Pretti was carrying "a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines… That doesn't play good either."
Democrat Governor Tim Walz has compared Trump's ICE operations in Minnesota to the Holocaust, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has accused federal agents of operating without local coordination – stirring up anti-ICE sentiment while federal agents attempt to arrest criminal illegal immigrants who've been shielded by the city's sanctuary policies.
Wagner's sudden disappearance reveals what happens when keyboard warriors calling for violence realize there might actually be consequences.
He spent days telling other people to pick up guns and confront federal officers.
The moment someone suggested he might be held accountable for inciting violence, he scrubbed his accounts and fled.
Typical.
Sources:
- Adam Sabes, "Minn 'Antifa' member claims he's 'on the run' after calling for 'armed' men to confront immigration officials," Fox News, January 27, 2026.
- "Antifa Influencer Declares 'Guerrilla War' Against ICE After Minnesota Shooting," Daily Caller, January 24, 2026.
- "Examining Extremism: Antifa," Center for Strategic and International Studies.
- "Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization," The White House, September 22, 2025.
