‘Authoritarian tactic’: Justice Department launches criminal probe into Minnesota governor

Washington: The US Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation of Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, over an alleged conspiracy to impede immigration agents, a source familiar with the probe said.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said subpoenas were prepared for Walz and Frey as part of the inquiry, but it was not immediately clear whether they had been served.

The investigation, first reported by CBS News on Friday (Washington time), stems from statements made by Walz and Frey about the thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents deployed to the Minneapolis region in recent weeks under orders from US President Donald Trump, the source said.

It came hours after the release of transcripts of emergency calls made after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis early this month – a killing that has become a national flashpoint over Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Reacting on social media to news of the investigation, Walz – who unsuccessfully ran for the vice presidency in the 2024 election won by Trump – said the federal justice system was being weaponised to intimidate Trump’s perceived political enemies.

“Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponising the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said.

The governor was referring to US Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, Democrats from Michigan and Arizona, who made a video statement urging members of the military to resist illegal orders, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom Trump has criticised as being too hesitant to cut interest rates.

Reacting to a CNN report on the investigation, Frey said: “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city.”

The Justice Department declined to comment. But US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a message on social media platform X on Saturday, saying: “A reminder to all those in Minnesota; No one is above the law.”

It would be highly unusual for federal prosecutors to bring a criminal conspiracy case based on statements from public officials about government policies.

The Trump administration has sent nearly 3000 federal agents to Minnesota since early last week, triggering angry protests in Minneapolis over the surge in immigration agents on the streets of the state’s most populous city.

Confrontations between residents and federal officers have become increasingly tense after an ICE agent fatally shot a US citizen Good, 37, behind the wheel of her car, in Minneapolis on January 7, triggering daily protests that have spread to other cities. At the time, she was taking part in one of numerous neighbourhood patrols organised by local activists to track and monitor ICE activities.

Although Walz has urged protesters to remain peaceful, he also encouraged citizens to record video of any arrests or other encounters between ICE agents and members of the public to create a database for potential “future prosecution” of wrongdoing by law enforcement.

Walz and Frey have repeatedly demanded that Trump end the ICE deployment, saying the militarised deportation drive was a reckless operation aimed at sowing chaos, fear and headlines, and was putting civilians in danger.

Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche during the week blamed Walz and Frey for the confrontations and said he was focused on stopping them by “whatever means necessary”.

Meanwhile, a Minnesota judge ruled federal officers participating in immigration operations in the Minneapolis-area could not detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who were not obstructing authorities – including those observing the agents.

The ruling in the case – filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists – prohibits the officers from detaining people in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion they are obstructing or interfering. Safely following agents “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop”, the ruling said.

District Judge Kate Menendez also said agents would not be allowed to arrest people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion the person has committed a crime or was obstructing or interfering with the activities of officers.

Government attorneys argued that the officers have been acting within their legal authority to enforce immigration laws and protect themselves.

Meanwhile, newly released transcripts of emergency calls and dispatch records detailed the chaotic and dangerous scene that unfolded after Good was shot dead.

In one panicked call after another, witnesses told police what they had seen: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the street, several shots fired at a driver, her vehicle slamming into other cars, blood everywhere.

“There’s 15 ICE agents, and they shot her, like, ’cause she wouldn’t open her car door,” one caller said, adding a stream of profanities.

“ICE fired shots into her windshield,” another caller said, as the operator urged the person to slow their breathing. “She’s bleeding.”

Later, as Good was being pronounced dead at a local hospital, police were trying to evacuate ICE officers from the scene while angry protesters cut down crime-scene tape around the area, according to an incident report that recorded communications between emergency responders.

“ICE BEING SURROUNDED,” one person transmitted about 80 minutes after the shooting, according to the report.

Minnesota’s most populous city has seen increasingly tense confrontations between residents and federal officers since Good, a mother of three, was shot.

Since the surge in ICE personnel in the area, agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters, at times smashing windows and pulling people from their cars. Some officers have found themselves surrounded by onlookers jeering and shouting at them for stopping blacks and Latinos who turned out to be US citizens.

Trump administration officials have complained about what they call the “doxing” of federal agents, including Ross, saying that puts officers at risk, leading them to wear masks to protect their identities.

In the case of the Good shooting, Trump and other administration officials accused her of deliberately trying to run over Ross and other agents with her car.

Videos showed she turned her wheels away from the officers, and Democratic city and state officials have rejected the government’s account as false.

The Trump administration has said Ross was injured during the incident – although video shows him walking around afterward – while noting he was seriously hurt months earlier in an unrelated traffic stop that resulted in him being dragged behind a vehicle.

Reuters, AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.