Trump administration launches criminal probe into Minnesota leaders
Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement.
The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on allegations that they conspired to impede Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration raids.
The Justice Department issued subpoenas for Walz and Frey as part of an investigation on Friday, accusing the two Democratic leaders of hindering federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to conduct immigration crackdowns in the state.
The subpoenas escalate an increasingly bitter political battle between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, an American, by an immigration officer last week in Minneapolis.
That shooting happened amid a surge of federal immigration officers deployed to the state by President Donald Trump.
Nearly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers have been sent to Minneapolis and St. Paul, commonly known as the Twin Cities, to arrest those living in the US illegally.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has classified the operation as the largest of its kind in American history.
Federal agents are also probing allegations of welfare fraud, after a multibillion-dollar child daycare scam was uncovered during an investigation into Minnesota's use of federal aid, which subsequently prompted federal agencies to cut and suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to the state until the agencies receiving the aid show proper compliance.
The announcement of the investigation into Walz and Frey comes amid the firestorm of the daycare scandal.
Tension With ICE
Earlier this week, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the federal government for the massive use of ICE and CBP officers sent to the state, claiming it amounted to an unconstitutional "federal invasion."
Walz and Frey have denounced the massive deployment of agents to the Twin Cities and have accused the Trump administration of creating chaos and using aggressive tactics to undermine public safety.
"We're in a position right now where we have residents that are asking the very limited number of police officers that we have to fight ICE agents on the street," Frey said earlier this week. "We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another.”
Legal experts said the subpoenas suggest that DOJ officials are examining whether Waltz and Frey used public statements disparaging the surge of officers and federal actions, which have amounted to criminal interference in law enforcement work.
"Mayor Frey and Governor Walz have to get their city under control," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday. "They are encouraging, impeding and (committing) assault against our law enforcement, which is a federal crime, a felony."
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed that sentiment in a post on the US social media platform X: "Walz and Frey - I'm focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It's a promise,” he wrote.
Meanwhile a US judge in Minnesota ruled on Friday that Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in immigration enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters.