"The Justice Department is investigating whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have impeded federal immigration enforcement through public statements they have made, two people familiar with the matter said Friday. The investigation, which both Walz and Frey said was a bullying tactic meant to threaten political opposition, focused on potential violation of a conspiracy statute, the people said."
"The investigation comes during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest recent immigration enforcement operation, resulting in more than 2,500 arrests. The operation has become more confrontational since the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7, with agents pulling people from cars and homes and frequently being confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave. State and local officials have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful."
"In response to reports of the investigation, Walz said in a statement: "Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic." U.S. senators Kelly, from Arizona, and Slotkin, from Michigan, are under investigation from the President Donald Trump administration after appearing with other Democratic lawmakers in a video urging members of the military to resist "illegal orders.""
The Justice Department is investigating whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey impeded federal immigration enforcement through public statements, focusing on a potential conspiracy statute violation. The probe arises amid a weekslong Department of Homeland Security immigration operation in Minneapolis–St. Paul that has resulted in more than 2,500 arrests. The operation intensified after the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7, with agents pulling people from cars and homes and frequent confrontations with angry bystanders. State and local officials urged protesters to remain peaceful. Walz and Frey characterized the investigation as a bullying or intimidation tactic; Walz's office said it has not received notice.
#justice-department-investigation #immigration-enforcement #minnesota-politics #protests-and-confrontations
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]