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Amid rising anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tensions across the country, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey used the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as an opportunity to urge other mayors to crack down on the Trump administration’s federal enforcement effortwarning that violence could be “next” to come to their city.
“We’re on the front lines of a very important battle and it’s important that we don’t get silenced. We don’t get silenced,” Frey said. “Now is not the time to bow in despair, nor is it the time to bow in fear that we might be next, because if we don’t speak out, if we don’t step out, your city will be next.”
Blue City Democrats went on to say federal agents in minneapolis “Is it that bad?” claiming people’s constitutional rights were “trampled on.”
“Thousands of federal agents descended on this city with 600 police officers,” Frey said. “People were pulled off the streets indiscriminately. Discrimination happened just because you were Somali, Latino or Southeast Asian. American citizens were taken from their homes … just because they looked like they were from Mexico or Ecuador or Somalia.”
Border czar Tom Homan vows to stay in Minnesota ‘until problem goes away’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey prepares to speak Thursday at the 94th Winter Session of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
He added that crime rates are down in “almost every category” and “almost every neighborhood” in Minneapolis and blamed federal agents for making the city “less safe.”
“When there’s a lot of chaos, it’s not as safe,” said Frey, who believes the federal government’s presence makes families fearful about daily activities.
The mayor calls on the Department of Homeland Security (Department of Homeland Security) ended the “subway surge” in Minneapolis and immigration enforcement nationwide, claiming he “never” made the issue partisan.
“This isn’t even about immigration. This is about suppressing a narrative or political position that differs from the federal government’s,” Frey said. “We see this kind of behavior in other countries, but not in the United States. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. I have never shown this partisanship.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks Thursday at the 94th Winter Session of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
“This is the fundamental principle that ensures the continuation of our republic. It seems like I’m saying too much on a macro level, or maybe it’s a concerning thing, but I have to tell you, we’re seeing this on the streets right now.”
Frey went on to accuse the government of taking advantage of Ministry of Justice “As weapons” and calling them “bullies”.
“They are investigating me and several other local elected officials, not because we did anything wrong, but because we demonstrated one of the core responsibilities of being a mayor, which is the core and fundamental responsibility to speak on behalf of our constituents.”
Frey’s comments come days after White House border czar Tom Homan Visit the Twin Cities in an effort to develop a “drawdown plan” to reduce the presence of federal agents in the state.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media after speaking at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., on Thursday (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
Homan holds meeting with Minnesota attorney general Thursday Keith Ellison ‘Very productive,’ Ellison agrees to notify ICE when violent illegal immigrants are released from local jails.
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Border czar also urges local leaders to limit “hostile rhetoric” as recent riots in minneapolis Resulting in the deaths of Minnesota residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal law enforcement.
Although Frey remains in Washington, he told reporters he has no plans to meet with the president Donald Trump Thursday and will meet with other elected officials at the Capitol.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
