Minneapolis Mayor Frey stands firm: Police won’t back ICE despite Trump warning

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday firmly rejected calls for local police to assist in federal immigration enforcement, pushing back against criticism from Trump and noting a similar policy once championed by Trump ally Rudy Giuliani during his tenure as New York City mayor.

Frey emphasized that Minneapolis police should focus on public safety, not immigration enforcement, warning that involving officers in federal operations would undermine community and compromise city safety. 

Jacob Frey defends stance after Trump's warning

Frey’s comments came in response to a post on Truth Social from Trump earlier in the day. In his post, Trump accused the mayor of violating federal law by not cooperating with immigration operations.

Frey addressed this by stating on social media, “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce federal immigration laws,” he said, “I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador.”

Frey also referenced former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as precedent for his stance, pointing out that Giuliani implemented similar protections for undocumented immigrants during his time in office.

As previously reported by CNN’s K-File, Giuliani signed Executive Order 124 in New York City, which restricted the situations where city employees could report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. 

Giuliani argued at the time that immigrants should be able to access essential city services without fear of being reported.

“I think New York City should not deal with undocumented immigrants in a harsh way,” Giuliani said in a 2001 interview. “I think they make a big contribution to the life of the city.”

Frey stated his administration is prioritizing the message that residents need to feel safe when calling 911 or working with police, regardless of their immigration status. 

Earlier, Trump had said he was “surprised” by the mayor’s stance following what he described as a “very good conversation” between the two.

“Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law,” Trump wrote, adding that Frey was “Playing with fire.”

Administration eases rhetoric as pressure mounts 

While Trump escalated his rhetoric online, Border Czar Tom Homan struck a more friendly tone after meeting with Frey and Minnesota Gov Tim Walz earlier in the day.

Homan said discussions were productive despite disagreements with Frey, reiterating the same.

“We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets,” Homan wrote on X. “While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point.”

The meetings followed Trump’s decision to pull Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino from overseeing federal immigration efforts in Minnesota.