Minneapolis Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey's defiance of President Donald Trump's calls for Frey's sanctuary city to "enforce federal immigration laws" drew a rebuke Wednesday morning.
"Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, 'Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"This is after having had a very good conversation with him.
"Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!"
Frey responded an hour after Trump's post.
"The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy [Giuliani] had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911," Frey wrote on X.
Trump has long suggested invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 in response to defiance of federal immigration laws and has thus far held off on enforcing it in Minnesota and Minneapolis, which are led by Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, Frey, and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Trump's rebuke came one day after Frey posted on X rejecting some terms discussed with border czar Tom Homan during calls with state and city leaders about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
"I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe," Frey concluded in a three-post X thread Tuesday night. "City leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team."
Frey initially struck a conciliatory tone before reiterating his support for the city's sanctuary policies.
"Today, Chief [Brian] O'Hara and I met with Border Czar Homan and had a productive conversation," Frey wrote. "I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible.
"Public safety works best when it's built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division.
"I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers," he added in the second X post.
The standoff between Frey and the Trump administration could ultimately set the stage for a Supreme Court showdown over the limits of state and local authority in immigration enforcement.
With Minneapolis and other sanctuary jurisdictions insisting that ICE operations remain a federal responsibility, and Trump signaling that refusal to cooperate may violate federal law, the dispute raises constitutional questions about whether Washington can compel local governments to assist in immigration enforcement.
Legal analysts warn the conflict could escalate into a battle over states' rights versus the president, potentially redefining how far ICE can go in jurisdictions that openly resist its mission.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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