Over 10,000 protesters reportedly filled the streets of Minnesota over the weekend following the death of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was killed in an altercation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week.
Videos circulating online show large crowds with signs that read “melt ICE” and “ICE out of Minnesota” while chanting similar sentiments. Despite the protests, around 1,000 additional immigration officers were dispatched to Minnesota over the weekend, according to CNN.
On Fox News on Monday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the department would continue with its activities in Minnesota to pursue President Donald Trump’s goal of deporting illegal immigrants.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that last week’s shooting will not thwart the administration’s agenda, and that the tragedy was not the result of her department’s actions — blaming instead the rhetoric of state leaders.
“This domestic terror attack in Minneapolis was the direct consequence of sanctuary politicians, like Tim Walz and Jacob Frey, who constantly demonize and vilify our brave officers,” she said in a post on X, linking her conversation with Tapper. “Sanctuary politicians are allowing situations around the country to become volatile, they’re not doing their jobs, and they haven’t for years. In the interest of public safety I would encourage them to grow up.”
Soon after the death of Good on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s message to ICE, delivered during a press conference, was “Get the (expletive) out of Minneapolis.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the Trump administration’s anti-immigration tactics “dangerous, sensationalized operations” and has previously likened ICE agents to the “Gestapo” and “murderers.”
Did Mayor Frey go too far?
When asked by Tapper in an interview directly after Noem’s if his language had gone too far, Frey stood his ground.
“I said this was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying, because that was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying, it’s exactly what happened,” Frey said.
Tapper then shared a statement from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, in which they largely agreed with Noem. The statement said, “Irresponsible, reckless rhetoric from political leaders attacking law enforcement has real and dangerous consequences for officers on the street. When officers are vilified, demonized, or used as political props, it fuels hostility, emboldens bad actors, and puts lives directly at risk.”
It continued, “MPPOA calls on leaders to stop the inflammatory language and respect the legal and investigative process.”
When asked to comment on the opinion that his rhetoric feeds attacks on law enforcement, Frey did not directly answer but said he supports the state’s law enforcement officers.
In a Saturday press release, DHS published a list of alleged criminals who were in the country illegally who they had apprehended. The list included individuals charged with rape, homicide and child sodomy. DHS accused the state’s leadership of trying to shield these individuals from federal law enforcement by disrupting their investigations.
“Regardless of staged political theatrics, ICE is going to continue to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota and elsewhere,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said, per the release “Some of these criminal aliens have had final orders of removal for 30 years, but they’ve been free to terrorize Minnesotans. ICE’s arrests prevent recidivism and make communities safer, but it feels like local politicians want to ignore that part and drum up discontent rather than protect their own constituents.”