Former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf sharply criticized Minnesota political leaders and protesters following the fatal shooting of a man by federal officers in Minneapolis, warning that inflammatory rhetoric and armed demonstrators are driving the city toward further violence.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda," Wolf said it was still early and that "a lot of facts have to come out," but argued that statements from Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were already worsening the situation.
"Unfortunately the governor and the mayor are very unserious individuals," Wolf said.
"They are dangerous. The type of rhetoric and the type of words that they're using today are only incentivizing and making the situation on the ground worse."
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old man from south Minneapolis, was identified as the individual fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis, according to The Star Tribune.
Wolf accused state and city leaders of "demonizing ICE" and irresponsibly calling for federal officers to leave Minneapolis.
"They know that will never happen," Wolf said. "They know the president is not going to do that, nor should he do that."
He said local officials could immediately reduce tensions by deploying police to assist federal agents. "If the mayor and the governor are truly serious about wanting DHS out, they need to surge their local law enforcement in," Wolf said.
"You don't see that on the streets right now, and that's a problem," he added.
Wolf rejected claims that Border Patrol agents are untrained.
"Yes, absolutely, they are trained," he said. "They go to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. They have their own academy. They get recurrent and specialized training."
He said the heavy federal presence in Minneapolis is the result of local authorities refusing to cooperate.
"Minneapolis won't honor ICE detainers," Wolf said.
"Instead, they release individuals back into the community, forcing ICE to go into the streets. That's when tensions rise and things go wrong," he said.
Addressing the fatal shooting itself, Wolf said authorities have indicated the man was armed and approached officers during an enforcement operation.
"That is obviously inviting trouble," he said.
"If you decide to go to a protest and bring your weapon, your sidearm with two clips, you have a certain mentality," Wolf added. "You are looking for trouble."
Wolf said law enforcement officers are forced to make split-second decisions.
"Someone with a deadly weapon is a threat, no matter how old or how young," he said. "Not just to officers, but to everyone around them."
He also warned that protests in Minneapolis have increasingly crossed into violence.
"You can see they're baiting law enforcement," Wolf said.
"They're throwing rocks, blocking roads, trying to provoke an aggressive response so they can capture it on camera."
Wolf urged state leaders to intervene immediately.
"Surge the Minneapolis police and state police," he said. "If that happens, DHS can pull out hundreds of officers very quickly."
"This is a snap of a finger away from becoming extraordinarily violent and out of control," Wolf said. "Leadership needs to become part of the solution, not the problem."
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