Dean Phillips, a former representative for Minnesota’s third Congressional district, called on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to cooperate with Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
“It’s common sense to deport undocumented criminals, and I encourage Gov. Walz, Mayor Frey, and all state and local officials throughout the country to cooperate with the federal gov’t to that end,” Phillips wrote on X Thursday morning.
Why It Matters
Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis have been facing intense scrutiny and tension as ICE continues its immigration enforcement there.
In Minneapolis, two citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were killed by ICE officers, sparking backlash in the city and across the country.
What To Know
Minnesota officials have filed a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order to stop Trump officials from “destroying or altering evidence” relating to the shooting of Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.
“As I told the White House in no uncertain terms this morning, the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation,” Walz said Sunday.
Phillips’ comments toward Walz arrive after the Democrat left Congress.
During his time in office, Phillips voted for President Joe Biden’s policies overwhelmingly, but he also ran against the former president in the 2024 presidential primaries.
Phillips has also criticized Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE operations.
“Glad the President has recognized the incompetence and lies of Kristi Noem,” Phillips wrote on X earlier this week.
“May Tim Walz and Tom Homan initiate a re-set with capable ICE leadership and adherence to our Constitution. Enforcing our immigration laws and protecting Americans’ rights are not mutually exclusive.”
The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that Pretti, one of the citizens killed by ICE in Minneapolis, had approached the officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS wrote. “More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.”
However, that contrasts with bystander videos that show Pretti with a phone in his hand and no visible weapon. Family members have confirmed that Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Minnesota.
What People Are Saying
Dean Phillips, a former representative for Minnesota’s third Congressional district, wrote on X: “It’s common sense to deport undocumented criminals, and I encourage Gov. Walz, Mayor Frey, and all state and local officials throughout the country to cooperate with the federal gov’t to that end.”
Fox News host Trey Gowdy said on Sunday: I think there is a temptation in our culture to be first, even at the expense of being right. You only have to watch this video a couple of times to know it is a very fact-intensive inquiry… I think what frustrates people — you remember Kyle Rittenhouse and how he was made a hero on the right. I’m sure there are people on the conservative side who are saying, ‘Wait a minute, you mean you can’t take a firearm to a protest? Because you were just celebrating a guy for doing it a couple of years ago.’ Alex Pretti’s firearm was lawfully being carried. It’s lawful to carry a gun in Minnesota. He never brandished it. He didn’t point it at the cops.”
What Happens Next
Calls continue to abolish ICE in Minneapolis and across the country.
Walz also faces backlash for comparing ICE’s operations in Minneapolis to the experience of Anne Frank and other Jewish families during the Holocaust.
“We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank,” Walz said. He said that “somebody is going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.”
