Minnesota State Rep. Sandra Feists Gets Shut Down

What was supposed to be a routine interview at the Minnesota Capitol didn’t end that way for a state representative.

On November 17, 2025 a press release from the state representative included this message:

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve as a State Representative for the communities of New Brighton, Columbia Heights, and St. Anthony,” said Rep. Feist. “I have found the experience of public service to be truly meaningful. Since I first ran for office, my circle expanded dramatically. I’m a better, more thoughtful person as a result. From the dedicated DFLers who welcomed me as a new face in local politics to the community members who chatted with me at the Capitol, in coffee shops, the grocery store, and my kids’ school events about the issues on their minds, I have learned from you and appreciate your partnership in informing my legislative work.”

Forward to January 2026 and during an appearance with Laura Ingraham, Sandra Feist decided to verbally attack Chief Patrol Agent Bovino. The situation deteriorated quickly.

Feist came in swinging with the usual Democratic talking points:

“Illegal entry is just civil”
“ICE escalates violence”
“Law enforcement should de-escalate”
“Common-sense gun laws”

And one by one, Bovino calmly dismantled every single claim.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: I do have a right to have this experience.

Commander Bovino: Yeah? Were you cursing like that, as a state representative? Did your parents teach you that? Where did you learn such foul language like that? Such a simple question. I’m asking you, simple question there.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: You know, I learned how to try.

Commander Bovino: You know, it’s very interesting when we make our community safer, your very residents thank us, but you don’t know that as a representative now, do you?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Could you explain to me why you are not arresting criminals? Why are so few of the people that you have arrested, detained and deported people with criminal records?

Commander Bovino: They’re all criminals. They’ve all crossed the border illegally.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Crossing the border illegally is a civil offense.

Commander Bovino: No, 18 U.S.C 1325, illegal entry, that’s a federal crime, yes.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: No, it’s still considered civil immigration enforcement.

Commander Bovino: Deporting illegal aliens and criminals is making America a safer place, double-digit drops in crime. Have you looked at your statistics nationwide? Or you don’t care about that.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Over the last like…

Commander Bovino: Since we’ve been conducting – yes. Double-digit drops in crime.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Correlation without causation.

Commander Bovino: When we’re there, that does cause that. Then what causes it, then?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I don’t know, I saw a crime recently, and the crime was ICE shooting a woman who was a bystander.

Commander Bovino: Don’t drive a 2000-pound missile at an ICE agent, and you won’t have an outcome that you don’t agree with, Representative.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Oh, I thought that law enforcement is supposed to be trained in de-escalation.

Commander Bovino: And that is. They did.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Shooting someone in the face is not de-escalation.

Commander Bovino: We love watching representatives use their First Amendment. I think it’s fantastic.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I’m a former member of the ACLU of Minnesota board, and I believe in the First Amendment.

Commander Bovino: Good. What about the Second Amendment? You believe in that one?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: I don’t have a strong opinion on that.

Commander Bovino: You don’t have – just the ones that suit you there, Representative, right? What about that Second Amendment?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I don’t know if you heard, but we had a shooting in a school here in Minnesota recently, and a lot of…

Commander Bovino: What’s that got to do with the Second Amendment?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I think that if we had some common-sense gun violence prevention laws…

Commander Bovino: Who gets to say it’s common sense, you?

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, yes, I’m the legislator.

Commander Bovino: Exactly, and I think that’s definitely the problem here.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Is it? Well, I think it’s common sense children are dying.

Commander Bovino: When you use that violent rhetoric around children, yeah, I’d say that you probably are not exercising a lot of common sense here, Representative.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: I’m here as a volunteer for the Minnesota Youth in Government. And the point of Minnesota Youth in Government is to encourage children to participate in our civic institutions, to learn about them, to learn how to exercise their constitutional rights.

Commander Bovino: I do the same thing. I haven’t interrupted anything, but I do the same thing. I take children to shooting ranges, and I teach them to shoot, to exercise their Second Amendment rights that it seems like you want to take away.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: I don’t have strong opinions about the Second Amendment. I just care about…

Commander Bovino: Just the ones you want, right? Just those, just those rights you think you need to care about.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I just want people to be able to live in peace.

Commander Bovino: Me too. That Second Amendment does that.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Really? Well, all I’ve seen here in Minnesota is people dying, including children.

Commander Bovino: What about the lives that are saved by guns? You don’t talk about them, do you?

[Another Person]: Does anybody die from fentanyl? I’m just wondering because you… the end-all is get rid of guns, people don’t die. Is fentanyl still killing people in Minnesota? Just wondering. Because it’s illegal.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: Well, I don’t think so.

[Another Person]: Because it’s illegal. The government, we don’t hand out fentanyl? Is fentanyl killing people in Minnesota? See, see, this is where you – this is where – this is where you need to count to ten.

Commander Bovino: Too easy.

[Another Person]: I really don’t want you to leave, but yes.

[Rep. Sandra Feist]: I’m gonna go.