Reflections on political strategy against Minneapolis

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joins the Chuck ToddCast to discuss the unprecedented federal immigration enforcement crisis unfolding in his city as masked ICE and DHS agents have effectively occupied Minneapolis in what appears to be an operation designed more for political retribution than public safety. Frey explains the complex dynamics between city, state, and federal authority, noting that Minneapolis maintains a policy of not coordinating with federal immigration enforcement because police officers should focus on keeping communities safe rather than targeting immigrants. He reveals alarming constitutional violations, including non-white off-duty Minneapolis police officers being racially profiled and harassed by ICE agents and residents being stopped and asked for ID based on their accents. With Minneapolis already critically understaffed on police officers per capita, the massive imbalance between local law enforcement and ICE agents has created a tenuous situation where police are forced to respond to citizens being harassed while protesters exercise their First Amendment rights.

The crisis has been compounded by what Frey describes as a weaponized Department of Justice that can't be trusted, evidenced by his office receiving a subpoena. The mayor emphasizes that much of the federal action stems from a fraud issue that had nothing to do with illegal immigration, yet racist attacks on the Somali community followed—despite the fact that Somalis in Minneapolis came legally as refugees and most are U.S. citizens. Frey has held discussions with Governor Tim Walz about potentially deploying the Minnesota National Guard and worries about his ability to conduct a real investigation into the shooting of Renee Good by ICE. Frey contends the operation is designed to whip the public into a frenzy rather than address genuine immigration concerns.

Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joins the Chuck ToddCast

00:30 Structure of Minneapolis law enforcement & the mayor’s powers

01:45 What is the line between city & state, and federal vs. state/city authority?

02:30 Minneapolis officials don’t coordinate with feds on immigration

03:30 Police officers should keep community safe, not target immigrants

04:30 Would you release a proven criminal into ICE custody?

06:00 Escalation with ICE & DHS went from 0-100 in Minneapolis

06:45 OMB sent a letter threatening to cut all fed funds over DEI

07:45 DHS seems intent on political retribution, not safety or immigration

09:30 There was a real issue with fraud, & racist attacks on Somalis followed

10:15 Somalis in Minneapolis came legally as refugees, most are citizens

11:00 Fraud issue had nothing to do with illegal immigrants

12:15 Is ICE responsible for longer 911 wait times?

12:45 Minneapolis is very low on police officers per capita

13:15 There’s a massive imbalance between police officers & ICE agents

13:45 What are the police supposed to do if citizens are harassed by ICE?

15:00 Police are forced into a difficult & tenuous situation dealing with ICE

16:00 Do you believe the ICE operations are designed to provoke a response?

16:30 ICE are trying to whip the public into a frenzy

17:15 Is there a legal avenue for you to push back against DHS/ICE?

18:15 There have been unimaginable constitutional violations by ICE

19:15 Non-white off duty Minneapolis officers have been harassed by ICE

20:30 People are being racially profiled and asked for their ID

21:30 ICE needs to be better trained and have a moral compass

22:15 Police received a call from a 5 year old whose parents were taken

23:00 Worried that residents could take matters into their own hands?

24:00 Has the “No ICE on city property” policy worked?

25:00 There have been talks with Tim Walz over deploying MN national guard

26:15 What’s behind the subpoena received by the mayor’s office?

26:45 DOJ is being weaponized to target leaders that disagree with Trump

27:45 The current Department of Justice can’t be trusted

29:15 There’s so much value to having career civil servants over political loyalists

31:15 There’s been a failure to believe that Trump will do what he says he’ll do

32:00 Any end in sight to the ICE occupation of Minneapolis?

32:45 Will you be able to do a real investigation into the shooting of Renee Good?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.