Conservative influencer Jake Lang escorted from Minneapolis protest
Conservative influencer Jake Lang, who organized the “Minnesota March Against Fraud” protest, was greeted by counter-protesters who forced him out.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey defended his and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s actions as immigration enforcement agents roiled the city as the Trump administration’s Justice Department reportedly launched an investigation related to an alleged conspiracy to obstruct immigration enforcement in the state.
Frey said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” on January 18, “In some countries, you get punished for something you say. In some countries, you get investigated for saying something that violates federal regulations. But that’s not the case here.”
The mayor has not yet received a subpoena from the Justice Department, but said he plans to cooperate with the subpoena because he “did nothing wrong.”
“We’re doing everything we can to keep the people of our city safe right now,” Frey told co-host Jonathan Karl. “We have been speaking out to make sure that our residents are protected and that people’s constitutional rights are upheld. It is not illegal to do so.”
The investigation, reported by Reuters and the Washington Post on January 16, comes amid a growing feud between Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and President Donald Trump. The Department of Homeland Security has sent thousands of personnel to the state in what it calls the “largest immigration operation in history.” The ministry said authorities are combating fraud in social welfare programs that officials say are linked to Somali immigrants.
Walz and Frey have called on immigration agents to leave the state, especially in the wake of the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
In a statement issued at the time of the report, Walz criticized the administration for the reported investigation.
“Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that it was Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” he said. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal officer who shot her.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the investigation in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” saying, “The American people can see what their mayor is saying, what their governor is saying, and it’s clear that it has to stop.”
Frey calls the federal government an “occupation force”
In an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Frey called the Minneapolis immigration authorities an “occupying force.”
“What we’re talking about is over 3,000 ICE agents and Border Patrol agents coming in,” Frey said. “If the objective is safety, then that can give you a very antidote to the acts of violence that we’re seeing, and that’s to evict them.”
When asked by host Margaret Brennan about the creation of so-called “safe zones” for protests, he said, “That’s not how the First Amendment works.”
Frey’s appearance on Sunday’s show comes as Reuters reports that the Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota.
“That would be a shocking move,” Frey said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We’re safe.”
If U.S. troops are deployed, it’s unclear whether the Trump administration will invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president the power to deploy the military or create a federal National Guard to quell domestic violence.
Contributor: Michael Loria, USA TODAY. Reuters
