Minneapolis Mayor Frey Cries Intimidation as Troops Stand By, Defends Anti-ICE Mob [WATCH]

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded Sunday to President Donald Trump’s potential deployment of active-duty troops to Minneapolis, criticizing the move as intimidation while reiterating his opposition to ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

The comments came amid escalating unrest tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Minnesota. As previously reported, roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers have been placed on standby for possible deployment to the state following violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement during ICE operations.

President Trump has repeatedly warned that he may invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota officials fail to prevent attacks on federal agents. In a statement issued Thursday, Trump said, “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law & stop the professional agitators & insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done…” – President Trump pic.twitter.com/d7XJMA7qUU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 15, 2026

Trump has also stated in previous remarks that he plans to deploy National Guard troops to California, Chicago, and Portland if necessary, and has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act in those locations as well.

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Frey addressed the situation during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper, where he criticized the possibility of a military presence in Minneapolis and said it would not improve public safety.

“This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis,” Frey said. “And here’s the thing, we’re not going to be intimidated. If the goal here is safety, we’ve got many mechanisms to achieve safety. And the best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents, and in this case, military, in Minneapolis.”

Frey cited the number of law enforcement personnel already operating in the city, saying, “Right now, we have about 600 police officers, and they’ve got 3000 or so ICE agents and border control. That they are now talking about deploying 1500 military, this is, well, it’s ridiculous, but we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government.”

During another portion of the interview, Frey suggested that unrest would subside if ICE operations were halted in Minneapolis. He directly tied calm in the city to the departure of federal immigration agents.

“The second these ICE agents leave the city, I’m telling you, you’re going to have calm in Minneapolis, and you will continue to see the great comeback that we had been experiencing,” Frey said.

He also called on the Trump administration to allow the city to return to normal activity, adding, “Let us get back to that comeback. Let us live in peace. Let us have businesses that are open and daycares where you don’t need to escort staff to and from. Let us live in a place where, you know— I mean, look, in Minneapolis, we’ll stand up.”

Frey continued by describing the determination of residents to continue protesting if necessary, saying, “If we have to sled down ice hills to get to a protest, we’ll do that. If we’ve got to make sure that people are escorted to the grocery store, you know, we’ll do that. But truthfully, we want to get back to a place where we can just love on our city, do our daily activities, just like any other town in America.”

The standoff between Minneapolis city leadership and the Trump administration continues as federal officials weigh additional enforcement and security measures in response to the ongoing unrest tied to ICE operations.

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