Minneapolis and St. Paul are at the center of a widening federal controversy after the Justice Department opened an investigation into whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey impeded federal immigration enforcement through public statements, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The two people said the probe, which both Walz and Frey characterized as a bullying tactic meant to threaten political opposition, is focused on potential violations of a conspiracy statute. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a pending investigation by name. CBS News first reported the investigation.
The investigation is unfolding during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the Department of Homeland Security called its largest recent immigration enforcement operation, resulting in more than 2,500 arrests. AP reported that the operation became more confrontational after the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7, when agents pulled people from cars and homes and were frequently confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
State and local officials have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful as more demonstrations are expected in the Twin Cities. Minnesota officials also warned demonstrators against confrontation. “While peaceful expression is protected, any actions that harm people, destroy property or jeopardize public safety will not be tolerated,” Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said.
In response to the investigation, Walz said in a statement that “Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.” Walz’s office said it has not received any notice of an investigation.
Frey described the investigation as an attempt to intimidate him for “standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.” The U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis did not immediately comment. On X, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law,” without specifically mentioning the investigation.
The controversy is also intersecting with legal limits on federal agents operating during the crackdown. A U.S. judge in Minnesota ruled on Friday that federal officers working in the Minneapolis-area enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including when protesters are observing agents. The case was filed before Good’s shooting on behalf of six Minnesota activists represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, according to the AP report.
Government attorneys had argued that the officers were acting within their legal authority to enforce immigration laws and protect themselves, but the ACLU said government officers were violating the constitutional rights of Twin Cities residents, AP reported. Earlier in the day, Trump backed off his prior threat to invoke the Insurrection Act to send troops to suppress demonstrations. Outside the White House, Trump told reporters: “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it.”
Separately, AP described what it called “detention whiplash” involving Garrison Gibson, a Liberian man who had been shuttled in and out of custody since agents broke down his door with a battering ram last weekend. Gibson was released again Friday, hours after a routine check-in with authorities led to his second arrest. AP said that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled the initial arrest unlawful on Thursday and freed him, but Gibson was detained again Friday when he appeared at an immigration office, and that attorney Marc Prokosch later said Gibson was free again.
AP said Gibson, 38, had fled the civil war in his West African home country as a child and had been ordered removed based on a 2008 drug conviction later dismissed. The report said he remained in the U.S. legally under what is known as an order of supervision and complied with a requirement to meet regularly with immigration authorities. AP said that in his Thursday order, the judge agreed officials violated regulations by not giving Gibson enough notice that his supervision status had been revoked, and that Prokosch said ICE told him they are “now going through their proper channels” to revoke the order.
In the case tied to Good’s fatal shooting, Minneapolis authorities released police and fire dispatch logs and transcripts of 911 calls. Firefighters found what appeared to be two gunshot wounds in Good’s right chest, one in her left forearm and a possible gunshot wound on the left side of her head, according to records cited by AP. In the 911 transcript, a caller said, “They shot her, like, cause she wouldn’t open her car door. Point blank range in her car.”
AP reported that video showed an officer approached Good’s Honda Pilot, demanded that she open the door and grabbed the handle. The report said Good began to pull forward and turned the vehicle’s wheel to the right, and that another ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, pulled a gun and fired at close range as the SUV moved past him. DHS claims the agent shot Good in self-defense.