The justice department subpoenaed several top officials in Minnesota on Tuesday as part of its investigation into whether Minneapolis officials have conspired to impede federal immigration efforts there.
A copy of a subpoena to the office of the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, obtained by the Guardian, requests guidance and policies related to immigration enforcement in Minnesota since last year. It also requests communication regarding those policies with other state agencies, as well as documents related to “hindering, doxxing, identifying, or surveilling immigration officers”.
The office of the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, also received a subpoena, his office said. The offices of the state attorney general, Keith Ellison, the Hennepin county attorney, Mary Moriarty, the St Paul mayor, Kaohly Her, and the Ramsey county attorney, John Choi, also reportedly received subpoenas.
“When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” Frey said in a statement. “In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong, and, as mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”
Walz said he would not be intimidated.
“This justice department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community,” he said in a statement.
The justice department is investigating the officials, claiming that they conspired to impede federal immigration agents. Legal experts have said the claim is flimsy.
Two unnamed sources familiar with the matter told AP last week that the inquiry was looking into whether Minnesota officials’ public statements obstructed federal immigration enforcement.
Her, the St Paul mayor, also acknowledged receiving a subpoena, telling the AP she was “unfazed by these tactics”.
Ellison said in a statement that his subpoena was for “records and documents” and “not for me personally”, NBC reported.
“Let’s be clear about why this is happening: Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I’m standing in his way,” Ellison said. “I will not be intimidated, and I will not stop working to protect Minnesotans from Trump’s campaign of retaliation and revenge.”
Ellison said the subpoenas were “highly irregular” and came after his office sued the federal government earlier this month in an effort to end the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the state. When he announced the lawsuit, the attorney general accused federal agents of “warrantless, racist arrests” and excessive force.
A federal judge last week issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting ICE agents from using certain tactics that they have widely deployed against protesters in Minnesota, saying officers cannot retaliate against peaceful demonstrators or target observers. Attorneys for the Trump administration told the court on Monday that the federal government would appeal against the injunction.
“DOJ is out of control. The crime of impeding federal agents requires physical force. Speaking out against the way ICE is being deployed is not a crime,” Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney for the eastern district of Michigan, posted on X on Friday.
News of the subpoenas came after the justice department said it was investigating protesters who disrupted services at a Minnesota church where a local ICE official is reportedly a pastor.
ICE also came under scrutiny over the weekend when photos captured agents detaining a US citizen at his home, leading him outside in his underwear in frigid temperatures. The man, who was later returned home, told AP that masked agents, without a warrant, had forced their way into his home and pointed guns at his family.
The Department of Homeland Security said it was conducting a “targeted operation” seeking two people, claiming the man “matched the description of the targets”.
