DOJ Serves Subpoenas to Walz, Frey and Other Minnesota Officials Amid Immigration Crackdown
The Justice Department has widened its inquiry into Minnesota’s handling of federal immigration enforcement, issuing subpoenas to Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other top state and local officials as part of an investigation into whether authorities interfered with federal operations during the Trump administration, according to a document reviewed by NBC News and a person familiar with the matter.
The subpoenas also target Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the office of St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and two county governments, the document and the person said.
NBC News contacted the offices involved seeking comment.
Frey responded with a statement blasting the Trump administration and accusing the Justice Department of abusing its authority.
“When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” Frey added.
“In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values,” the Democratic mayor added.
Ellison, in his own statement, emphasized that the subpoena does not target him personally.
“Everything about this is highly irregular, especially the fact that this comes shortly after my office sued the Trump Administration to challenge their illegal actions within Minnesota,” the state attorney general said.
“Let’s be clear about why this is happening: Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I’m standing in his way,” Ellison added. “I will not be intimidated, and I will not stop working to protect Minnesotans from Trump’s campaign of retaliation and revenge.”
The federal investigation follows the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, by an ICE officer during an immigration enforcement action. Her death triggered protests and confrontations between demonstrators and police that have drawn national attention.
Investigators are relying on a rarely invoked federal law with origins dating back to the Civil War. That statute appeared in a memo circulated last month by Attorney General Pam Bondi, obtained by NBC News, outlining potential strategies for prosecutors to bring charges against political agitators.
In addition, federal authorities are examining the actions of Good’s partner to determine whether she may have obstructed a federal officer in the moments leading up to the shooting, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
Walz has previously criticized the focus of the probe, saying: “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.” He was referring to ICE officer Jonathan Ross, a military veteran who spent more than a decade working for the Department of Homeland Security.
{Matzav.com}
