Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made a bold announcement. He said he won’t cooperate with federal agents on deporting illegal immigrants.
Over Trump’s first weekend back in office, ICE agents carried out massive raids. They arrested over 1,200 illegal immigrants with criminal charges or convictions.
"I want to speak directly to people who are undocumented: we love you. We care about you," Frey said. "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 pointed to the city's separation ordinance as his legal shield. "And that separation ordinance states clearly that our city officials, our police officers and beyond will not be gathering information showing who is and is not documented," he explained.
He emphasized that immigration status is never asked. "We do not ask the question with regards to immigration status and, because we haven't asked the question, we don't have any data to show documentation status in our city," Frey said.
He made his stance on ICE crystal clear. "Our police officers will not be cooperating with federal law enforcement around federal immigration law," he stated. "We enforce state and local laws here in Minneapolis, and we will do so to the best of our ability. But as for cooperation with ICE, the answer is no."
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is pushing a tough stance. Officials say stopping illegal immigration is a priority.
"So to foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "Under this president, you will be detained and you will be deported. Every day, Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump's administration is removing from our communities."