Gov. Tim Walz is "fully responsible for the chaos" surrounding clashes involving federal immigration enforcement, accusing state leaders of fueling unrest and urging cooperation with the Trump administration to avoid further escalation, Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins told Newsmax on Thursday.
"Certainly, there are some lawful protesters, but there are many who I've seen video of who have been impeding ICE agents doing their job, attacking ICE agents," the GOP lawmaker, a candidate for governor, told Newsmax's "National Report."
"We saw video this morning of a group that smashed into a law enforcement car and took out a weapons storage unit and took the guns and other material from the car, so it's very dangerous," she added.
Robbins, who chairs the Minnesota Fraud Prevention Committee, said that Walz should allow local authorities to work with federal agents, and specifically called for cooperation to take suspected criminals into custody at courthouses and jails rather than in neighborhoods.
"I call on Tim Walz to stop the chaos, allow local law enforcement to support the ICE enforcement in our communities, and most importantly, to just allow them to pick up the criminals at the jails and the courthouses so they're not going through our communities," she said.
"If Tim Walz would allow law enforcement to do their job and uphold federal immigration laws, we wouldn't be having these conditions in the communities," said Robbins.
President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, but Robbins said she did not support escalating the situation.
However, she warned that the current situation is unsafe for both residents and officers.
"I'm hoping that Tim Walz will reach out to the Trump administration and they can work this out. I do not think escalating on either side is the best answer," Robbins said.
"If we want to get back to the rule of law, we should be doing it in partnership with local law enforcement so that our communities and our citizens are safe and that agents are safe," she said.
Robbins also said she's encouraging cooperation so the National Guard does not need to be mobilized.
"We should have a partnership with the federal government, not pitting ourselves against the federal government," she said.
Robbins also accused Walz of shifting blame for the situation and said Minnesota's policies contributed to the current situation.
"He could have law enforcement working side by side with ICE to protect the community, to protect the agents. That's what goes on in other states," she said. "He should be helping enforce the rule of law instead of undermining it."
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