ICE Raids Minneapolis Amid Dems' Vow to Obstruct

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly begun enforcement operations in Minneapolis, with parallel activity also underway in New Orleans — a veritable tale of two cities contrasted in blue and red states.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed to NBC News that the ICE operation is underway as Minneapolis Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison vow to stand in the way of Trump administration deportation forces.

The Minneapolis action comes a day after President Donald Trump said Minnesota's Somalis should "go back to where they came from" if they do not like the laws of the land.

Minneapolis is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, as state Democrats have opened their borders to refugees from the war-torn African nation.

"We're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country," Trump said at Tuesday's 2½-hour Cabinet meeting open to the media, which aired in its entirety on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform, continuing his rebuke of former Somali national Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a vitriolic critic of Trump.

"Ilhan Omar is garbage. She's garbage. Her friends are garbage."

And the immigrants, he continued, "aren't people that say, 'let's go, come on, let's make this place great.'"

"These are people that do nothing but complain," Trump added. "They complain, and from where they came from, they got nothing.

"They come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but b*tch. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it."

Ellison, long an obstructionist voice against Trump from the left, claimed in a Zoom meeting Tuesday that it is possible the state does have the legal authority to challenge ICE teams specifically targeting an illegal immigrant group.

"When it comes to these immigration issues generally, that has been the province of the federal government, but the federal government has still got to be fair," Ellison said.

"They still got to treat people equally. They still can't target people based on their religion or their ethnicity or their background or national origin. They can't pick on people based on those kinds of criteria."

But, by the nature of illegal immigration, this is an apparent path for the Trump administration to review Somalis in the city and state that has welcomed them en masse.

According to both Frey and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, a Democrat appointed by Frey, Minneapolis police will not collaborate with federal agencies in situations involving immigration, nor will they ask whether people are in the country illegally.

"I want to try and minimize our officers' exposure to any of that type of enforcement activity and only respond when there is a legitimate public-safety issue that we are responsible to our community to provide," O'Hara said.

Frey added the city is working to compile "know your rights" information and resources for illegals, which can be found on both Minneapolis and St. Paul city websites.

"You have the right to remain silent and you have the right to a lawyer," he said. "You have the right to refuse to sign documents until that lawyer is present; you have the right to not open the door unless a warrant has been shown."

But Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told KARE 11 that ICE is working to root out illegal Somalis and criminals, and not lawful visa holders.

"Every day, ICE enforces the laws of the nation across the country," she said. "What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally."

In a tableau of American contrasts, corresponding ICE operations that also began Wednesday in New Orleans came with an FBI announcement that Louisiana — a state long considered Republican — will coordinate with the Trump administration as opposed to obstruct it like Minnesota.

The FBI New Orleans Field Office and Louisiana State Police announced a joint enforcement effort to deter assaults on federal officers and attempts to obstruct law enforcement actions.

"We will not tolerate assaults on law enforcement officers in Louisiana and there will be consequences," Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp wrote in a statement.

"We will be on the streets and partnered with the Louisiana State Police and additional federal law enforcement to investigate and arrest anyone assaulting law enforcement officers, unlawfully impeding federal law enforcement activity, or assisting anyone to commit this criminal activity."

Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges vowed to enforce state laws designed to protect people and property.

"Louisiana State Police will collaborate closely with our local, state, and federal public safety partners to provide operational support during immigration enforcement operations," Hodges wrote in a statement.

"Our Troopers will be in uniform and operating marked LSP vehicles to ensure a visible and coordinated presence.

"Troopers will take immediate action on all state-level criminal violations involving the assault or battery of any law enforcement personnel — federal, state, or local — as well as incidents involving criminal damage to property."

Title 18 U.S. Code §111 prohibits forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers while they are engaged in the performance of their official duties.

The code was cited by Louisiana, but not by Minnesota or by officials in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.