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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has pushed back against President Donald Trump’s claims he is in “serious violation of the Law” by refusing to enforce federal immigration laws.
Frey rejected the characterization in a post shared to X. He was responding to a message Trump had earlier shared on Truth Social criticizing the Minnesota politician. "The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws," Frey wrote. "I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador."
Newsweek has contacted Frey and the White House for comment.
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Why It Matters
The dispute comes amid simmering tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in the city by federal immigration agents in a matter of weeks.
Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE agent during a federal enforcement operation on January 7. Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by federal immigration agents on January 24.
Frey was among the first to reject the Trump administration’s claims that Good put an ICE officer’s life in danger by driving toward him, which justified the use of lethal force, calling it “bulls***.” He told reporters: “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
Frey indicated he and Trump were on the same page after a phone call on Monday, two days after Pretti’s death, in which they discussed ending the federal crackdown. Frey said in a statement that Trump "agreed that the present situation cannot continue."
In that same statement, however, Frey continued to push back against the work of federal immigration agents in the city, saying: “Minneapolis will continue to cooperate with state and federal law enforcement on real criminal investigations—but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law."
What To Know
Those comments earned him the ire of Trump, who took to Truth Social on Wednesday to warn Frey he was "playing with fire" in saying that Minneapolis would not enforce federal immigration laws.
"Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, 'Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce federal immigration laws,'" Trump wrote, noting it came "after having had a very good conversation with him." He urged Frey's inner circle to explain to him that his statement represented "a very serious violation of the law, and that he is playing with fire."
Frey appeared unmoved, however, in the response he issued on X, writing in response to Frey's post, the Official White House Rapid Response account said they were not asking him to "enforce" these laws but simply "honor ICE detainers and let them know when criminal illegals are in your jail so they can safely pick them up and deport them."
The ongoing dispute suggests Trump may be further off reaching a resolution to the situation in Minneapolis than previously thought.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.’ This is after having had a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on X: "The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911."
Official White House Rapid Response account on X: "No one is asking you to 'enforce fed immigration laws,'@MayorFrey. We're just asking you to honor ICE detainers and let them know when criminal illegals are in your jail so they can safely pick them up and deport them. That's it. It's safer for EVERYONE, but you refuse."
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