Even if Mayor Jacob Frey wanted his city's police officers to help the Trump administration with immigration enforcement, it'd be just about impossible to do it.

Why it matters: Frey's resistance to President Trump's demand for local ICE support set the president off yesterday, threatening to disrupt what had been 48 hours of de-escalation between local and federal officials.

The latest: After Trump criticized Frey and said he was "playing with fire" by not enforcing immigration law, the mayor shot back and posted on social media that he wants his police "preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador."

Friction point: Minneapolis has a separation ordinance that bars police from undertaking "any law enforcement action for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws."

• Minneapolis Police Department officers can control crowds at immigration raids, but coordinating this response with federal officials could be problematic under the ordinance.

Reality check: Even without the ordinance, it wouldn't be feasible for MPD to take on additional duties because it's already stretched thin.

• Before George Floyd's murder in 2020, the city had nearly 900 sworn officers. Hundreds quit or retired after days of rioting and looting, and staffing levels bottomed out around 550 officers.
• It took years — and hefty compensation increases — to get staffing back to 600 last summer, which is still well below the city-charter-mandated level of 713.

Meanwhile, as many as 4,000 federal immigration agents have been in the state at times.

What they're saying: "I'm mortified at [MPD having only] 600," former police chief Janeé Harteau told Axios. "You can't even really manage 911 calls, let alone do investigations, proactive policing, crime prevention, community policing — everything. They're barely keeping their head above water."

• Harteau, who resigned in 2017 but stays in contact with her former colleagues, is worried that a department already on fragile footing could be hurt by another large exodus due to the stress of the last several weeks.

What we're watching: White House border czar Tom Homan, who met with Frey Monday after taking over the local immigration operation, will hold a news conference in Minneapolis this morning.

Trump officials also say they want jails and prisons to hold inmates who have immigration detainers — something Frey has no say in as mayor.

State of play: State officials say they already alert ICE when inmates with detainers are being released from state prisons, and that holding them after their ordered release carries legal risks.

• "That's the fundamental issue," Department of Corrections commissioner Paul Schnell said recently. "There is not a lack of cooperation ... just some legal boundaries."

Yes, but: Some county jails, including Hennepin County's, do not honor ICE detainers, according to Fox 9.

What we're watching: Top legislative Republicans have vowed to revive legislation that would essentially override local "sanctuary" policies and mandate that county attorneys notify ICE when undocumented immigrants are arrested on suspicion of violent crimes.

• But that bill is expected to face resistance at the narrowly divided Legislature, as Democrats prepare their own proposals to ban agents from wearing masks and make it easier for people to sue for civil damages when their rights are violated by federal agents.

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It's shaping up to be a nasty year for potholes.

Why it matters: Pothole complaints this year might even rival the particularly bumpy winter of 2023, St. Paul Public Works director Sean Kershaw warned yesterday.

Driving the divots: "January rains will bring pothole pains," Kershaw explained.

• The winter rains over the past month have seeped into the pavement. When this water freezes, it expands, cracking streets open.

What they're trying: St. Paul recently bought a $15,000 piece of equipment from Minneapolis that lets city crews make the more-durable "hot mix" pothole filler.

• This will let the city start filling divots while the weather's too cold for St. Paul's asphalt plant to operate.

🏛️ President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are moving toward a plan to avert a government shutdown this weekend by carving out Homeland Security funding from the larger spending package, and negotiating limits on immigration agents. (N.Y. Times)

The two Border Patrol agents who shot at Alex Pretti have been placed on leave, DHS confirmed. (NBC News)

⚖️ The Minneapolis Police Department says the FBI is taking the lead in the criminal investigation into a man who sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with liquid at a town hall Tuesday night. (Star Tribune)

💻 Local schools and governments — not state agencies — were the top targets for cyber attacks against public entities in 2025, an inaugural state cyber security incident report found. (Report/Background via Axios)

• Incidents included last summer's major ransomware attack against St. Paul that immobilized some city services.

The price of a typical home in the Twin Cities metro increased 2.6% last year, hitting a record $390,000, per an annual housing market report.

The big picture: It's still largely a sellers' market, Minnesota Realtors say, and limited supply and high prices remain big hurdles for many would-be buyers.

Case in point: Close to 70% of homes on the market in the Twin Cities are unaffordable to the typical household, a separate recent Bankrate analysis found.

Zoom in: Bankrate measured the number of listings considered in reach for someone making a median income, or about $97,000 a year.

• That translates to homes priced at $340,000 or less, with a maximum monthly payment of $2,421.

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"It's our blood and bones and these whistles and phones against Miller and Noem's dirty lies / Minneapolis I hear your voice, crying through the bloody mist."

The big picture: The protest song's quick production is reminiscent of "Ohio," which Neil Young wrote days after the Kent State shooting in 1970.

It's not just The Boss: British singer/songwriter Billy Bragg released "City of Heroes" on Tuesday.

• "When they came for the immigrants/ I got in their face / When they came for the refugees/ I got in their face / When they came for the five-year-olds/ I got in their face."