ReutersThe US justice department is investigating two prominent Minnesota officials over alleged attempts to impede federal immigration operations, in an escalation of the Trump’s administration’s clash with Democrats.
Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both liberals, are facing an inquiry over statements they made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
It comes as new details emerged in the death of a Minneapolis woman shot last week by an ICE agent in the city, which drew nationwide protests.
Renee Good, 37, was found with at least three gunshot wounds and possibly a fourth to the head, according to official reports viewed by CBS.
Governor Walz responded on Friday to news of the inquiry against him by posting on X: “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
“The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
In a statement to the BBC, Mayor Frey said “I will not be intimidated”.
“This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets,” he said.
The BBC has reached out to the justice department about the apparent investigation.
The governor has urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully, but members of the Trump administration have accused him of inflammatory rhetoric, like describing ICE as a “modern-day Gestapo”. Frey has demanded that immigration agents get out of Minneapolis.
The inquiry is focused on a federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 372, which makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to prevent federal officers from carrying out their official duties through “force, intimidation or threats”, a US official told CBS.
Protests continued in Minneapolis on Friday after new details emerged about the death of Good, and local officials appealed for calm on the streets over this public holiday weekend.
An incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department, which was viewed by CBS News, said when they responded to the shooting scene last week, it appeared Good had been shot twice in the chest, once in her left forearm and a fourth wound, possibly from a gunshot, was seen “on the left side of the patient’s head”.
Paramedics found Good unresponsive with an irregular pulse, and she was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to hospital, according to the report seen by CBS.
The Trump administration has said that Good was impeding federal law enforcement and tried to run the agent over. Local officials say Good was a legal observer who posed no danger.
Video of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car, which is blocking traffic and parked in the middle of the street. An officer instructs her to get out of the car.
As Good turns her wheel apparently trying to drive away, her Honda Pilot SUV pulls forward with one of the agents standing near the front of the vehicle. He pulls his gun and fires.
ReutersFootage from the scene shows the agent walking off afterwards.
But Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have told CBS the officer suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the incident. No further details have been disclosed.
The FBI is investigating the incident, although there is no federal civil rights inquiry into the agent who opened fire. Local officials and authorities say they have been shut out of the investigation.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump blasted demonstrators and local leaders on Friday.
On Truth Social, he accused protesters of being “highly paid professionals”, adding that Walz and Frey had “totally lost control”.
Later, the Republican president told reporters at the White House that he did not plan to invoke the Insurrection Act and send in troops to quell unrest in Minnesota, after earlier this week suggesting he might do so.
“If I needed it, I’d use it. I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it,” he said. “It’s very powerful,” he added.
Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThousands of ICE officers remain deployed in the state.
Democratic lawmakers travelled to the city for a hearing there and spent Friday condemning federal immigration operations in the state, accusing ICE of reckless and lawless actions.
Ilhan Omar, a congresswoman from Minnesota who has long feuded with Trump, said that ICE was trying to “provoke chaos and fear”.
Adriano Espaillat, a congressman from New York, said ICE had become a “deadly weapon”.
Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said ICE agents should not be allowed to wear masks, or make arrests without warrants, and should be required to have body cameras and name tags.
The Democratic lawmakers also interviewed several residents who alleged they had been shackled and detained by ICE for hours until they could prove they were US citizens.
The BBC has contacted the DHS and ICE for comment.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told CNN on Friday that if there was “reasonable suspicion” of someone who is “in the vicinity” of a person being detained by a DHS operation, they might be asked to confirm their identity.
She rejected suggestions such tactics could be discriminatory, saying “racial animus has no place in DHS”.
