How Minneapolis is pushing back against Trump's immigration crackdown
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Local officials in the Twin Cities and beyond aren't just criticizing ICE raids; they're trying to make things harder for federal law enforcement, while being careful not to go over the line.
Why it matters: The law forbids local leaders from impeding or interfering with federal officers.
- But Minneapolis and other cities are finding ways to push back on unwanted immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.
The big picture: Homeland Security officials started broadcasting a plan to target sanctuary jurisdictions from the start of President Trump's second term.
- This has put local leaders — because of the law, past litigation and public sentiment — directly at odds with Trump's mass deportation campaign.
Zoom in: Within hours of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announcing plans for an expanded ICE operation targeting Somalis over visa fraud, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was standing at a microphone pledging "unwavering" support for the city's immigrant communities.
- A day later, Frey signed an executive order that bans law enforcement agencies "from using any City-owned parking lots, ramps, garages, or vacant lots to stage civil immigration enforcement operations."
- MPD Chief Brian O'Hara reiterated that his officers won't assist federal authorities unless there's a public safety concern, and city staff shared a notice template that small businesses or homes can display to deter civil enforcement in private spaces.
Some school districts across the Twin Cities also went on the offensive, pledging to block federal agents from buildings and sharing resources for families, per the Star Tribune.
Friction point: Critics say that even if local police aren't conducting the raids themselves, their approach has still been too helpful to federal agents.
- St. Paul City Council members sharply criticized the police department's crowd control tactics during an ICE raid last month. They're considering a formal investigation after officers used chemical irritants and "less-lethal" rounds against protesters and journalists.
- Minneapolis police faced similar criticism after a federal raid in June. In the aftermath, some local politicians argued MPD officers should arrest federal agents who obscure their faces or badge numbers.
The intrigue: It's not clear what impact the local actions are having on ICE's operations.
- The agency, which announced over a dozen arrests last week, has not responded to Axios' request for information on how many people have been detained in total and other details of the operation.
Zoom out: Local officials in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans have taken a similar approach.
Between the lines: Cities and states covered by sanctuary laws have learned to prepare for when — not if — ICE targets them.
- A Frey spokesperson told Axios that the city prepared the parking lot executive order ahead of time, as it watched ICE operations in other cities, and finalized it once the Minneapolis effort was announced.
The other side: The Trump administration has swelled the number of deals between ICE and local law enforcement to more than 1,000 agreements across the country, helping the agency fuel immigration arrests and feed the pipeline for deportations.
- There were nine such agreements in Minnesota as of late November, all in Greater Minneapolis.
What we're watching: The Trump administration says it isn't deterred by the local response.
- DHS posted on social media, days after starting the new operations in Minneapolis and New Orleans: "To the violent rioters and sanctuary politicians: You will not stop us. This administration will not be intimidated."
Axios' Kyle Stokes and Torey Van Oot contributed to this report.