Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he spoke with President Donald Trump on Tuesday and that some federal immigration agents will be leaving the city on Tuesday. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Monday that some federal immigration agents will begin withdrawing from the city on Tuesday, an effort aimed at lowering sky-high tensions after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in recent weeks amid the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration operation.
Frey said he spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon to express the need for Operation Metro Surge to end.
“The president agreed that the present situation cannot continue,” Frey said in a social media statement.
“Some federal agents will begin leaving the area tomorrow, and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go.”
It was not clear how many of the roughly 3,000 federal immigration agents deployed to Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge would be withdrawing.
The Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge in December, which was bolstered by additional agents early this month.
Thousands of immigrants have been arrested, but Democrats and civil and immigration rights groups have accused the federal agents of due process violations, detaining U.S. citizens, racial profiling and using excessive force.
In response, protests have erupted in the city, which has been met with violence.
Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot Jan. 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in her vehicle as she appeared to try to be driving away from the scene of an altercation.
Then on Saturday, a Border Patrol officer fatally shot U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, who agents had swarmed and tackled to the ground.
Both were shot multiple times.
The shootings have raised worries about escalating violence in the city where officials have been calling for the federal agents to leave for weeks, saying they are fomenting chaos, threatening the safety of residents and are not needed.
Frey, a Democrat, on Monday said Minneapolis will continue cooperating with state and federal law enforcement on “real criminal investigations — but we will not participate in unconstitutional arrests of our neighbors or enforce federal immigration law.”
“Violent criminals should be held accountable based on the crimes they commit, not based on where they are from,” he said.
Frey added that he will meet with Tom Homan, Trump’s so-called border czar, on Tuesday “to further discuss next steps.”
Trump tapped Homan on Monday to lead ICE’s operations in Minneapolis.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social media platform, the president confirmed he spoke with Frey, calling it “a very good conversation.”
“Lots of progress is being made!” he said, adding that Homan will be continuing the talks with Frey on Tuesday.
ICE Out of Minnesota protest on Jan. 23 in Minneapolis
Thousands of protesters march in sub-zero temperatures during “ICE Out” day to protest the federal government’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo
