US justice department investigating Minnesota Democrats over alleged obstruction of ICE

BBC:

The US justice department is investigating two prominent Minnesota officials over alleged attempts to impede federal immigration operations, in an escalation of the Trump’s administration’s clash with Democrats.

Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both liberals, are facing an inquiry over statements they made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

It comes as new details emerged in the death of a Minneapolis woman shot last week by an ICE agent in the city, which drew nationwide protests.

Renee Good, 37, was found with at least three gunshot wounds and possibly a fourth to the head, according to official reports viewed by CBS.

Governor Walz responded on Friday to news of the inquiry against him by posting on X: “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.

“The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”

In a statement to the BBC, Mayor Frey said “I will not be intimidated”.

“This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets,” he said.

The BBC has reached out to the justice department about the apparent investigation.

The governor has urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully, but members of the Trump administration have accused him of inflammatory rhetoric, like describing ICE as a “modern-day Gestapo”. Frey has demanded that immigration agents get out of Minneapolis.

The inquiry is focused on a federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 372, which makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to prevent federal officers from carrying out their official duties through “force, intimidation or threats”, a US official told CBS.