Minnesota’s governor and Minneapolis’ mayor are now under federal investigation, escalating tensions with the Trump administration over immigration policy. The Justice Department is examining whether comments made by Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) constitute obstruction of federal operations.
The inquiry coincides with a federal judge’s recent limitations on ICE actions in Minneapolis, specifically blocking the agency from using pepper spray and arresting peaceful protesters. These restrictions followed the shooting death of Renee Good, 37, by an ICE agent last week, which ignited widespread demonstrations.
Newly released details on Friday revealed that Good sustained at least three gunshot wounds, and potentially a fourth to the head, according to official reports. Governor Walz responded to the news of the investigation on X, stating: “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
Mayor Frey issued a statement asserting, “I will not be intimidated.” He characterized the inquiry as “an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.”
The investigation centers on a federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 372, which criminalizes conspiracy to obstruct federal officers through “force, intimidation or threats,” according to a U.S. official.
Protests continued in Minneapolis on Friday as U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez issued an order blocking federal authorities from deploying pepper spray or other non-lethal force against demonstrators. The 83-page order halts arrests of peaceful protesters by the thousands of federal officers currently deployed in the city for immigration operations.
The judge’s order also prevents authorities from stopping or detaining drivers or passengers in vehicles “where there is no reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering.” She clarified that simply following federal law enforcement in a vehicle does not, on its own, justify a traffic stop.
Footage prior to the shooting showed Good in her SUV, seemingly honking to alert neighbors to the presence of immigration authorities.
The Trump administration maintains that Good was impeding federal law enforcement and attempted to run over an agent before shots were fired. Local officials contend that Good was a legal observer who posed no threat.
Video of the incident depicts ICE agents approaching a car blocking traffic. An agent instructs Good to exit the vehicle. As Good turns the wheel, apparently attempting to drive away, her SUV moves forward with an agent standing nearby. The agent then draws his weapon and fires.
A Minneapolis Fire Department incident report indicated that paramedics found Good with gunshot wounds to the chest, left forearm, and potentially the head. She was unresponsive with an irregular pulse and pronounced dead en route to the hospital.
ReutersDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told CNN that the agent involved suffered internal bleeding to the torso during the incident, though further details have not been released. The FBI is investigating the shooting, but there is no federal civil rights inquiry into the agent’s actions. Local authorities say they have been excluded from the investigation.
President Trump, meanwhile, criticized demonstrators and local leaders on Friday. On his social media platform, he accused protesters of being “highly paid professionals” and claimed Walz and Frey had “totally lost control.” Later, he told reporters at the White House that he did not plan to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Minnesota, after previously suggesting he might.
“If I needed it, I’d use it. I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it,” he said. “It’s very powerful,” he added.
Thousands of ICE officers remain deployed throughout the state. Democratic lawmakers held a hearing in the city Friday and condemned federal immigration operations, accusing ICE of reckless and unlawful behavior.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a frequent critic of Trump, stated that ICE was attempting to “provoke chaos and fear.” Congressman Adriano Espaillat of New York described ICE as a “deadly weapon.” Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal called for ICE agents to be prohibited from wearing masks, making arrests without warrants, and required to wear body cameras and display name tags.
The Democratic lawmakers also interviewed residents who alleged they were shackled and detained by ICE for hours while attempting to prove their U.S. citizenship.
