Editor’s word, January 24, 12 pm ET: Federal brokers shot an individual in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, in response to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The capturing gave the impression to be captured on video, which exhibits federal brokers wrestling somebody to the bottom and capturing them a number of instances. This story was initially printed on January 24 at 8 am.
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MINNEAPOLIS — President Donald Trump isn’t budging. On his tariffs. On his controversial deployment of federal immigration brokers. On his willingness to make use of the Justice Division to go after his political enemies. On his battle in opposition to blue cities.
Within the weeks after the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis, administration officers have doubled down on feedback that laid blame with the sufferer and stonewalled native officers making an attempt to analyze the capturing. This week, the Justice Division opened prison investigations into a number of Minnesota Democrats, issuing subpoenas that allege they’ve impeded federal immigration priorities.
The result’s a neighborhood on edge. 5 years after the killing of George Floyd made Minneapolis the middle of a worldwide motion for racial justice and police reform, the eyes of the nation have returned to the Twin Cities. And whereas the foremost query could also be, “Simply how far is Donald Trump keen to go?” the strain marketing campaign from the president has additionally challenged the state’s Democratic elected officers, together with state Lawyer Basic Keith Ellison.
Ellison, a former Congress member and DNC vice chair, has served as lawyer normal since 2019 — and he’s additionally a rumored candidate for the state’s Democratic nomination for governor. In an prolonged interview, I requested Ellison about his future in state politics, the playbook for pushing again on Trump, whether or not state Democrats had been sluggish to analyze claims of social providers fraud, and whether or not the answer for ICE is to abolish it.
Right here’s what most struck me in our dialog.
The federal authorities is actively blocking investigation of Renee Good’s loss of life
Ellison careworn an essential level: The Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division declined to open an investigation into the ICE officer who shot and killed protester Renee Good. They didn’t assessment proof and determined to not pursue prices.
“Look, what occurred that day has been reviewed by thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of People as a result of it was recorded on telephones,” US Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche mentioned in an interview with Fox Information. “The Division of Justice, our civil rights unit, we don’t simply exit and examine each time an officer is compelled to defend himself in opposition to someone placing his life in peril.”
In the meantime, the FBI has seized vital proof from the scene — bullet casings, in addition to Good’s automobile, which may present the bullet trajectory — and received’t share any of it with state and native prosecutors who need to pursue the case. In line with Ellison, the federal authorities is sitting on proof that might assist decide what occurred, and so they’re maintaining it from the individuals making an attempt to get solutions for Good’s household.
Minneapolis officers aren’t obstructing ICE
One of many Trump administration’s core arguments is that Minneapolis is a “sanctuary metropolis” the place native officers actively block ICE from doing their jobs. Ellison was adamant: that’s simply not true, and the excellence issues.
Minneapolis has what’s known as a “separation ordinance.” Ellison says that whereas state and native regulation enforcement don’t block ICE from accessing jails, as another cities do, the ordinance implies that metropolis employees are underneath no statutory obligation to do it. Ellison argued that going past that may expose the state to authorized legal responsibility.
For instance, ICE can gather individuals with immigration detainers, Ellison mentioned. What Minnesota received’t do is maintain somebody past what a court docket has ordered primarily based on their prison prices. For instance, if a choose says somebody charged with a DUI needs to be launched, the state releases them. If ICE desires to choose them up for immigration violations, they’re free to take action — however Minnesota isn’t going to detain them on immigration prices.
Ellison in contrast the politics of the scenario to summer season 2020, when Republicans efficiently branded Democrats as supportive of the activist motion to “defund the police” even when most Democratic officers by no means embraced that slogan.
Ellison says Minnesota Democrats weren’t sluggish on fraud investigations
This week on Reality Social, Trump argued that Minnesota Democrats have to be requested about documented circumstances of social providers fraud within the Somali American neighborhood. Trump additional alleged that Minnesota Democrats had not correctly investigated these circumstances underneath state Democratic management, which was one in every of his pretexts for sending in federal brokers.
In our interview, Ellison vehemently denied that Democrats slow-walked fraud circumstances amongst politically supportive communities. He mentioned Trump and the White Home had been unjustly concentrating on a complete neighborhood for the prison actions of some. After I talked about the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, the place a Minneapolis nonprofit conspired with a Somali restaurant to absorb greater than $200 million in federal cash, the lawyer normal was indignant.
“This ICE surge is about fraud, however [Trump] is sending armed males with weapons, sporting masks,” Ellison mentioned. “He’s not sending accountants. He’s not sending forensic monetary investigators. He’s sending aggressive males with weapons. So that you gotta get the impression that we’re not likely speaking about fraud.”
Trump is critical in regards to the Revolt Act – and is utilizing Minnesota as a take a look at case
Trump’s menace to invoke the Revolt Act is to be taken severely. Ellison mentioned he and different state officers have been war-gaming responses since early 2024, getting ready authorized challenges to what can be a rare assertion of federal energy.
Ellison additionally laid out simply precisely what the Revolt Act would imply in Minneapolis: active-duty federal troops patrolling the streets of an American metropolis, ostensibly to help ICE operations.
Ellison argued Trump resides out his marketing campaign promise for retribution in opposition to political enemies. “I’m your retribution” isn’t only a marketing campaign slogan — it’s a governing philosophy. And Minnesota, with its giant Somali inhabitants, its progressive politics, its historical past of protest after George Floyd, makes the right goal to ship a message about what occurs once you resist this administration.
