Minneapolis, MN
Democrat mayor vows to keep Minneapolis a ‘safe haven’ for illegal immigrants: ‘We love you’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey doubled down on his resistance to President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan’s immigration enforcement efforts today, vowing that his city will be a “safe haven” for illegal immigrants.
Speaking at a town hall with other Democrat leaders, including “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Frey said: “I want all of you just to know exactly where we are as far as our neighbors go, Minneapolis will continue to be a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.”
“Regardless of who you are or where you come from, Minneapolis is a place where you should be proud to call home,” he continued.
Frey, a Democrat, has previously vowed not to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, making him one of a slew of other blue city leaders across the country to take this stance.
In an earlier speech, Frey assured illegals that in accord with the city’s “separation ordinance,” Minneapolis police would not gather information about people’s immigration status and would not arrest anyone for being in the country illegally.
“I want to speak to the undocumented. We love you; we care about you and the city of Minneapolis, we will stand up for you and we will do anything in our power to help,” he said.
In response to Frey’s latest comments, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, whose district includes much of the Minneapolis suburbs and area around the Twin Cities, told Fox News Digital that “Mayor Frey should stop standing guard for criminal illegal aliens and start protecting the people of his city.”
“If anyone deserves a ‘safe haven,’ it’s the people of Minneapolis who’ve been forced to deal with the consequences of his failed leadership,” said Emmer.
In February, Emmer and several other Minnesota Republicans wrote a letter to Frey condemning his stance, which they said poses a threat to the safety of citizens.
“Just last year, ICE apprehended a known al-Shabaab terrorist in your city. This terrorist was an illegal immigrant who broke the law to enter our country during the Biden-Harris border crisis in March 2023. Last month, ICE arrested three illegal immigrants who are child sex predators in your neighbor city of Saint Paul,” they said.
“Interfering with federal actions designed to ensure the security of your constituents is misguided.”
“Your city and your constituents deserve to be protected from such threats, and we urge you to prioritize their needs over those of criminals and terrorists,” the letter went on, concluding: “It is time for you to put the safety of your constituents first.”
Minneapolis, MN
Bystanders throw snowballs at ICE agents dragging woman on the ground in Minneapolis – video
US federal agents were filmed dragging a woman and pinning her down in the snow for several minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday. Bystanders pleaded with the agents to let the woman go and threw snowballs at them. The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, criticised the ICE tactics after the incident
Minneapolis, MN
‘She’s pregnant’: Trump’s immigration agent drags woman through Minneapolis street, kneels on her; video goes viral
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violently dragged a woman in Minneapolis this week, and pinned her face down on snow-filled streets as onlookers screamed. According to ICE officials, they were deployed for ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ when protesters swarmed the agents. Soon after several onlookers including journalists saw an ICE agent holding a woman on the ground. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media with people criticising ICE for their violent methods. The Minneapolis police chief criticised federal immigration enforcement tactics after the chaotic scene.
What exactly happened?
According to the video, ICE agents handcuffed a pregnant woman, and violently pinned her to the ground by forcing her onto her stomach and pressed their body weight into her even as the crowd shouted that she was pregnant. According to ICE, the incident happened during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that ICE did not appear to take steps to de-escalate the situation as bystanders shouted at agents and threw snowballs in an attempt to save the woman. “We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation, but unfortunately that is … often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city,” O’Hara said. O’Hara also accused ICE of stoking fear, including the practice of hiding their identities with masks and unmarked clothes.
This comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has increased immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minnesota – Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Trump called Somali immigrants there “garbage” and said they should be deported after dozens of people, including Somali immigrants, were charged in a fraud scheme.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis PD chief worries about ‘instability’ created by ICE operation
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed concerns about the “instability” created by the ongoing ICE operations in Minneapolis during a sit-down interview on FOX 9 All Day on Wednesday.
O’Hara on ICE operation
What they’re saying:
Speaking with FOX 9’s Amy Hockert, Chief O’Hara said the issue isn’t necessarily what the agents are doing in enforcing federal law but rather the tactics they are using to go about their business.
“I think it’s been very destabilizing for a lot of people in the community,” explained Chief O’Hara. “A significant portion of the city are immigrants and that sort of instability is something that criminals and bad actors can take advantage of and that’s been the concern.”
Identifying ICE
Big picture view:
O’Hara says he is also concerned about masked federal authorities. Often, ICE agents will be masked, in unmarked squads, and not wearing visible identification of their law enforcement status. Chief O’Hara said a bad actor posing as law enforcement is a legitimate concern, pointing to the murders of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at the hands of a man posing as a police officer.
“Two or three months ago, the FBI put out a law enforcement bulletin saying that there were people committing violent crimes in cities around the country that were posing as ICE,” O’Hara said. “And it urged ICE to better identify themselves during law enforcement operations. And so that’s not just something I came up with – that’s something the FBI has been recommending.”
O’Hara says the department has also responded to calls from people who’ve encountered federal law enforcement and were unsure if they were legitimate.
“We have had calls from people who aren’t sure,” said O’Hara. “We’ve responded, and it turns out it was federal law enforcement. In other cases, it turns out it wasn’t. It was someone with a gun. We’ve had it happen both ways.”
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