Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Jacob Frey Criticizes Rioters — But Not For Reason You May Think

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Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis interrupted a lengthy rant against United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Wednesday to accuse violent rioters of “taking the bait” from President Donald Trump’s administration.

In a Wednesday post on X, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that an ICE agent who was ambushed by three people while conducting a “targeted traffic stop” shot an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Frey claimed that the federal law enforcement officers sent to carry out the crackdown on illegal immigration “do not share” the values of Minneapolis residents.

“Let’s be very clear, I have seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and intolerable. If it was your city, it would be unacceptable there too, and for anybody taking the bait tonight, stop, that is not helpful,” Frey said during his Wednesday night press conference. “Go home.”

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“We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos, and I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting,” Frey continued. “For those that are peacefully protesting, I applaud you. For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping and you’re not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city. You are not helping the people that call this place home.”

Trump ordered the crackdown due to a growing fraud scandal in Minnesota that officials estimated involved at least $9 billion in funds stolen by Somali scammers from various welfare programs. During an interview that aired Dec. 7, Frey said that Minneapolis police would not cooperate with the federal immigration enforcement operation.

“I would like to talk to everybody out there, even people not in Minneapolis right now,” Frey claimed earlier in the press conference. “Maybe you just put your kids to bed, maybe you are cleaning up the dishes, I am sure you love your family. There is no doubt in my mind that you love your city. Imagine if that city, or that town, was suddenly invaded by thousands of federal agents that do not share the values that you hold dear.”

Frey and Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota announced a lawsuit that sought to force the Trump administration to withdraw ICE from the state Monday, days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good during a Jan. 7 immigration enforcement operation. Video taken on a cell phone by the ICE agent who fired the fatal shots showed Good appearing to back up her car and looking right at the agent before she accelerated toward him after her wife shouted, “Drive, baby drive!” as other ICE agents attempted to detain her.