Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a press conference Tuesday that his city will not cooperate with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“I want to speak directly to people who are undocumented. We love you. We care about you. In the city of Minneapolis, we will stand up for you and we will do anything in our power to help. Because you’re not an alien in our city; you’re a neighbor,” Frey said.
He then explained that the city’s “separation ordinance” states clearly that Minneapolis officials, including police officers, “will not be gathering information showing who is and who is not documented.”
“We do not ask the question with regard to immigration status and because we haven’t asked the question, we don’t have any data to show documentation status in our city. Our police officers will not be cooperating with federal law enforcement around federal immigration law,” Frey continued.
“We enforce state and local laws here in Minneapolis,” the mayor commented. “As for cooperation with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the answer’s no.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: "As for cooperation with ICE, the answer's no." pic.twitter.com/9rlf1iDBzV
— Anthony Gockowski (@AntGockowski) January 28, 2025
President Trump ran on a platform of “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants, a position that is supported by a majority of Americans, according to recent polling. ICE has already made upwards of 4,500 arrests since Trump’s inauguration, according to the New York Post, which reports that the president has given ICE a quota of 1,800 arrests per day.
Some of these arrests have occurred in the Twin Cities area, according to the White House. A Mexican national convicted of possessing child pornography and an illegal immigrant convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor were both arrested by ICE’s St. Paul office within the last week.
Earlier this month, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the department updated its internal policy to clearly state that “MPD will not be involved in the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
“I recognize that the fear of deportation prevents some people from calling police in times of need or to report crime,” he said in a Jan. 16 press release.
“I want to be clear that enforcement of civil immigration laws falls exclusively with the federal government—it is not the job of the MPD. Any participation in immigration enforcement would have a chilling effect on our commitment to bias-free, community-oriented policing. I also want to be clear that the MPD will continue to address any criminal behavior that threatens the safety or wellbeing of others—regardless of immigration status.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
