The US Department of Justice served grand jury subpoenas on Tuesday to Minnesota government offices, including those of Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a department official said, amid protests and an immigration enforcement crackdown in the state.
A source familiar with the investigation had said last week that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation of Walz, Frey, and others over an alleged conspiracy to impede immigration agents.
Democratic politicians in Minnesota have called for calm, but have also been sharply critical of what they see as a politically motivated crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration.
Walz said on X earlier on Tuesday: "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 rather than with baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community."
Frey said on January 16 he would "not be intimidated" by reports the DOJ planned to subpoena him. "This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city," Frey wrote on X.
On the same day, Walz posted a video to Instagram in which he stated that "Minnesotans believe in the rule of law."
"We're an island of decency in a country being driven towards cruelty," Walz added. "Protect each other. And may God bless the people of Minnesota."
Trump discusses Minnesota, ICE during press conference
During a press conference on Tuesday, Trump addressed the ongoing clashes in Minnesota between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and civilian protesters, claiming that paid "professional agitators" were present at the shooting of Renee Good.
Trump also showed several photos of immigrants who were arrested by ICE in Minnesota, each framed by the phrase "worst of the worst," along with a list of their crimes. He referred to them as "rouch characters," "brutal killers," and "mentally insane."