Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey struck a more conciliatory tone regarding protests tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, calling for peace after a second shooting involving a federal officer in less than a week.
"There's still a lot that we don't know at this time, but what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable," Frey, a Democrat, said Wednesday night at a news conference, shortly after a federal officer shot an illegal immigrant in the leg after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle while trying to make an arrest.
"This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in, and at the same time, we are trying to find a way forward," Frey said. "To keep people safe. To protect our neighbors. To maintain order.
"We're in position right now where we have residents that are asking the very limited number of police officers that we have to fight ICE agents on the street, to stand by their neighbors. We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another."
The mayor’s remarks marked a sharp contrast to a profanity-laced tirade he delivered last week after the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, when Frey demanded that ICE “get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.” Good was killed on Jan. 7 during an ICE operation after a confrontation in which federal officials said her vehicle moved toward an agent — a characterization disputed by local officials and witnesses.
President Donald Trump warned Minnesota officials Thursday morning on Truth Social that unless they stop encouraging what he called "professional agitators and insurrectionists" from attacking federal law enforcement officers, he would deploy U.S. troops to quell the violence.
"I'm calling for peace. Everybody has a role in achieving that peace and we're going to try to do everything that we can to keep it," Frey said.
While urging calm, Frey continued to sharply criticize ICE operations in Minneapolis, calling them "disgusting" and "intolerable," and warned protesters not to "take the bait" amid what he described as "Donald Trump's chaos."
"For anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop," Frey said. "That is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos. I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you.
"For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city. You are not helping the people that call this place home. ICE can leave and this massive deployment can come to an end."
Frey also blamed limited local law enforcement resources, arguing that ICE agents and other federal law enforcement personnel outnumber Minneapolis police.
"Why are we put in this position?" he said. "We're put in this position because we have approximately 600 police officers in Minneapolis, far fewer who are able to work at any given time. And there are approximately 3,000 ICE agents in the area.
"The 600 police officers that we have are charged on any given day with investigating crime, stopping homicides from taking place. Preventing carjackings. That's the work of a police officer in a city.
"Meanwhile, we have ICE agents throughout our city and throughout our state, who along with border control are creating chaos. This is not the path that we should be on right now in America."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.