DOJ Opens Investigations Into Minnesota Politicians Amid ICE Protests

The United States Department of Justice has opened up an investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey amid rising tensions following the killing of a civilian by an ICE officer.

Last week, Minneapolis citizen Renee Good was killed by an ICE officer during a local operation, sparking outrage across the country. The incident led to massive protests and created various controversial interpretations of the events that took place, while the White House defended the actions of the officer and blamed the situation on the woman killed, who was blocking traffic.

Soon after, Walz and Frey – both Democrats – assumed extremely vocal positions over ICE, telling them to leave Minnesota, and continued on to express concerns over the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had taken over the investigation and blocked local agencies from looking into the incident. This sparked major concerns over an unjust outcome and a likely government cover-up or meddling with the information found at the site. Both leaders also encouraged locals to protest peacefully and ramp up pressure on the Trump administration.

Now, the Justice Department has launched an investigation accusing both Walz and Frey of impeding federal law enforcement through their public statements. Frey called the investigation an "obvious attempt" to "intimidate" him for "standing up for Minneapolis" and reasserted his focus on keeping the city safe. Meanwhile, Walz accused the Trump administration of "weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents," describing it as a "dangerous, authoritarian tactic."

Unfortunately, the protests – despite their mostly peaceful nature – have simply created more chaos in the region. Trump later deployed over 2,000 National Guard members to Minneapolis and threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act– a move that would allow him to use military force against the people and overrule state authorities. However, strong backlash ensued, and he later backed down on that threat.

Additionally, violence against the people has escalated further, with ICE officials arresting people of various backgrounds and races. Particularly, ICE has begun targeting Native Americans– the Oglala Sioux Tribe from South Dakota has seen multiple members arrested, despite the fact that all Native Americans are not considered "illegal aliens" and have been citizens of the United States for hundreds of years. Those members are still being held at an ICE detention facility near Minneapolis, but the Department of Homeland Security has refused to release them until the tribe "entered into an immigration agreement with ICE."

Nevertheless, a federal judge in Minnesota ruled yesterday that ICE agents must avoid taking action against peaceful protesters, which has become a major issue. Countless videos have circulated on social media showing peaceful protesters smothered in chemical spray and shrouded in tear gas, and at least 2,500 protesters have been arrested by ICE officers or National Guard members.

The judge also ruled that ICE officers cannot detain protesters who are not interfering with the activities of agents, responding to the activists and participants in these demonstrations who claim that their personal rights were violated by ICE agents.

However, the Department of Homeland Security has defended the actions of the ICE agents, claiming that they have had tires slashed, fireworks launched at them, and suffered from assaults. On the other hand, Democrats have pointed out that ICE officers are armed, while civilians are not, and they are required to use their power wisely– though many ICE officers lack training and are not instructed with the proper guidelines on how and when to use violence when in a self-defense situation.

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Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. (Sam Levenson)

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In a Sentence: The student insisted that the principal had a personal vendetta against her.

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