Minneapolis tensions deepen again as Trump accuses Mayor Jacob Frey of ‘playing with fire’
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Federal immigration enforcement agents detaining a person from an apartment building on Jan 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MINNEAPOLIS - US President Donald Trump warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Jan 28 that he was “playing with fire” for insisting that local police would refrain from enforcing federal immigration laws, a day after the President said he intended to “de-escalate a little bit” in the city
Amid the mixed signals from the White House, tensions remained high in Minneapolis, where observers and activists say immigration raids had not slacked but appeared to be more targeted on Jan 28.
The city has been convulsed by unrest, including confrontations between protesters and immigration agents, after two US citizens were shot dead – Ms Renee Good on Jan 7
Demonstrations have spread to cities large and small across the country in recent weeks, with Minneapolis finding its way into pop culture on Jan 28 when singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen released a protest song honouring Mr Pretti and Ms Good.
In one sign of how immigration agents might be changing their tactics, an internal memo reviewed by Reuters directed officers to avoid unnecessary communication and engagement
A day after striking a conciliatory tone in their public comments following weeks of heated rhetoric, Mr Trump and other top administration officials were talking tough again on Jan 28.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi said on social media on Jan 28 that federal agents had arrested 16 people in Minnesota for allegedly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal law enforcement.
“Nothing will stop us from continuing to make arrests and enforce the law,” Ms Bondi wrote.
A federal judge in Minneapolis said on Jan 28 that it was the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that was flouting the law by ignoring dozens of federal court orders during the immigration enforcement surge in January.
While cancelling a contempt-of-court hearing for acting ICE chief Todd Lyons, after the agency belatedly complied with an order to release a wrongly detained Ecuadorean man, US District Judge Patrick Schiltz listed at least 96 court orders he said ICE has violated in 74 cases.
“This list should give pause to anyone – no matter his or her political beliefs – who cares about the rule of law,” Mr Schiltz wrote. “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2025 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
At the same time, the two immigration officers who opened fire on Mr Pretti have been placed on administrative leave, according to a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, adding that it was “standard protocol”.
Mixed message, new tactics?
Mr Trump’s administration had indicated it will soften its approach, dispatching border czar Tom Homan to take over the operation from Mr Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official whose aggressive tactics drew widespread criticism.
A senior administration official said Mr Homan’s arrival would mark a shift to more traditional, narrowly aimed operations rather than the broad street sweeps Mr Bovino had led in multiple cities.
That change appeared codified in a newly issued internal ICE directive instructing agents to avoid engaging with “agitators” while on duty, warning that an antagonistic posture “serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation”.
The guidance, reviewed by Reuters, also orders ICE officers only to go after immigrants who have criminal charges or convictions, a departure from earlier tactics that had included randomly questioning individuals on the street about their immigration status.
Observers and activists told Reuters that ICE activity appeared to slow somewhat on Jan 27 before resuming in full on Jan 28, though in a more targeted manner than before.
On Jan 28, ICE agents were seen in several parts of the city rolling up to homes and businesses in caravans of three vehicles with six to eight agents in total, then knocking on doors and looking around, seemingly for a specific person.
If that person was not found, observers said, the agents were seen leaving.
In past weeks, agents might have begun randomly stopping people and demanding to see proof of legal status.
‘Playing with fire’
Among the 16 individuals who Ms Bondi said were in custody on Jan 28 was Mr Abdikadir Noor, a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit that accused immigration agents of using excessive force against protesters.
A federal judge in that lawsuit issued an injunction to restrain officers from arresting or tear-gassing peaceful protesters, but a US appeals court has lifted that order while the case as a whole remains under review.
Under mounting political pressure, Mr Trump had dialled back his attacks on Mr Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after speaking with both Democrats in the wake of Mr Pretti’s killing, vowing to work with them to lower the temperature.
But on social media on Jan 28, Mr Trump faulted Mr Frey for saying the city would not enforce immigration laws.
Mr Trump wrote: “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!”
The President has threatened to cut off funding for states that include so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit how much cooperation they give federal immigration authorities.
In response, Mr Frey wrote on social media: “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws.”
Mr Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead during protests near his home
But video verified by Reuters showed Mr Pretti held only a phone in his hand when Border Patrol agents pushed him to the ground.
Video footage also showed that an agent found Mr Pretti’s gun near his waist and removed it seconds before another agent shot a restrained Mr Pretti in the back. REUTERS
