Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back on the Trump administration’s escalation of federal law enforcement in his city Sunday morning, after more than 1,500 active-duty soldiers were told to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota.
“This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis,” Frey said on CNN’s State of the Union, calling the administration’s actions “ridiculous” and “completely unconstitutional.”
“I never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government,” Frey said.
Minnesota officials have also mobilized the National Guard amid a surge in immigration enforcement and ongoing protests around Minneapolis.
On the prospect of state National Guard and local police facing off against ICE agents and active duty troops in Minneapolis, Frey said, “We can’t have that in America.”
Calm will be restored to Minneapolis once the ICE agents are gone, and the city can get back to daily life, Frey said.
In reaction, the White House Rapid Response account wrote, “The Trump administration is not going to surrender to the Radical Left and let Minneapolis “get back to” rampant fraud, theft, and sanctuary for criminals.”
The Department of Justice is investigating Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Frey said Sunday he has not received a subpoena or any official notice about the investigation and is not aware of specific allegations.
Asked whether he would comply with the Department of Justice’s demands if a subpoena was issued, Frey told ABC News, “We have done nothing wrong, so of course we will comply in it, but at the same time, we need to be understanding how wild this is.”