After weeks of the Trump administration verbally hammering Minnesota officials, it looked earlier this week like a détente was in sight over the immigration crackdown during which two citizens have been killed by federal agents.
But now, the bickering is back on.
Earlier this week, amid fallout from the killing of Alex Pretti, President Donald Trump had separate phone conversations with Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz, discussing the possibility of reducing the number of federal agents here. Trump and Frey began with small talk about their families and how both men grew up on the East Coast, a Frey spokesperson said.
The next day, Trump sent White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to replace Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino as point person. Bovino caused outrage when he said Pretti had intended to “massacre” federal officers because he had a gun. But videos of the shooting contradicted that narrative; Pretti never brandished his firearm.
Trump’s move was seen by many as a prelude to de-escalation, after Trump had accused Walz and Frey of “inciting insurrection” hours after Pretti was killed.
Frey met with Homan on Jan. 27 and reiterated that city workers won’t help enforce federal immigration laws; a city ordinance prohibits that. A day later, Trump warned Frey on social media that he was “playing with fire.”
“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “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!”
Frey responded with a post on X, saying, “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.”
