This may well be the most irresponsible statement ever uttered by an elected official—and in an era of political hyperbole, that's no small feat.
"I am increasingly concerned because of the chaos that is being caused by these ICE agents that somebody is going to get seriously injured or killed," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declared at a recent press conference alongside Governor Tim Walz. "Somebody is going to get seriously injured or killed. And whether that is an ICE agent or a community member, we all know the tinder box that could explode because of it."
Frey went on to warn that the federal government is "looking for reasons to deploy more and more people to Minneapolis and blue cities around the country," while insisting "we cannot afford to lose a single Minneapolis resident because they showed up and decided to protect their neighbors" or "express their constitutional right to free speech."
What Frey frames as compassion is anything but. It's not de-escalation—it's outright permission, even encouragement, for residents to interfere with federal law enforcement operations. And interfering with law enforcement isn't just disruptive; it's a crime.
To grasp the danger here, consider the unspoken premise in Frey's words. He urges residents to "protect" neighbors from immigration enforcement. But how exactly does that play out on the streets? We've seen it time and again in blue cities: crowds forming to block agents, resist arrests, and physically impede operations. This isn't abstract rhetoric—federal law explicitly defines such actions as obstruction of justice, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Yet Democrats across Minnesota, from Governor Walz nodding along at Frey's side to state legislators and local activists, are either encouraging or excusing this behavior. One Democratic state representative even boasted on social media this Christmas season about coordinating efforts to interfere with federal officers.
Take State Representative Aisha Gomez, who has promoted the use of whistles to signal ICE activity, instructing residents: "If you hear a whistle in your community, go and check out what's happening." She doesn't advise awareness and compliance—she says come running. The intent is clear: summon crowds to obstruct agents, exactly as Frey describes "protecting" people from enforcement.Defenders claim this is protected speech, akin to warning drivers about a speed trap. But that analogy falls apart under scrutiny. Alerting someone to a speed trap encourages compliance with the law to avoid a ticket. What Gomez and others advocate is the opposite: mobilizing interference to prevent enforcement altogether. A fairer comparison? Using an app to summon a mob to surround a traffic cop mid-stop. No one does that because it's obviously dangerous, illegal, and reckless. Yet that's precisely what's being promoted in Minneapolis.
Frey insists the situation is "chaotic" and "dangerous"—and he's right, but for the wrong reasons. Chaos erupts when mobs confront law enforcement, not when agents lawfully execute warrants or arrests as part of operations targeting criminal illegals, including gang members and sex offenders.
The real source of danger is the message Frey and his allies broadcast: ICE is illegitimate, resistance will go unpunished, and local authorities won't intervene. With Walz standing in agreement, this isn't mere rhetoric—it's a public safety crisis in the making.
Federal immigration enforcement is the law of the land. Encouraging obstruction isn't activism; it's incitement that risks lives—agents', residents', and bystanders'. Before tragedy strikes, we need accountability, including serious legal consequences for those crossing the line from protest into crime.
Minnesota deserves better than leaders who prioritize political theater over public safety.
