Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is facing heat and scrambling to calm tensions just days after he told ICE to “get the f— out” of the city. Now, with protests escalating and one federal agent injured in an attack by a Venezuelan national, Frey is suddenly calling for peace.
The tone shift was on full display at a late-night press conference, where Frey pleaded with residents to stop confronting federal agents in the streets. “I’m calling for peace,” he said, after admitting that his city is on the brink. “Everybody has a role in achieving that peace.”
But that wasn’t the message just days ago. After ICE agents fatally shot Renee Good during an altercation, Frey unloaded on the agency, accusing it of sowing “chaos” and endangering his city. “To ICE, get the f— out of Minneapolis,” he shouted last week. “You are doing exactly the opposite of creating safety.”
That explosive rhetoric lit a fuse. Protesters have clashed with agents, vandalized property, and accused the federal government of targeting undocumented immigrants. On Wednesday, the situation turned violent again when an illegal immigrant allegedly assaulted a federal agent with a snow shovel and was shot in the leg.
JUST IN: After a suspect was shot, Minneapolis Mayor Frey demands ICE leave immediately, days after warning violence could break out if they stayedpic.twitter.com/RLhTvOzGQZ
— Jack (@jackunheard) January 7, 2026
JUST IN: After a suspect was shot, Minneapolis Mayor Frey demands ICE leave immediately, days after warning violence could break out if they stayedHomeland Security officials said the man had fled a traffic stop before attacking. Now, as the Department of Homeland Security demands Minnesota leaders stop releasing criminal aliens, the political battle is boiling over.
Sen. JD Vance and other conservatives blasted sanctuary city policies, saying they’ve created chaos and undermined federal law. ICE, fed up with the defiance, posted directly to X: “The buck stops with you, Governor. Tone down the hostile, inflammatory anti-ICE rhetoric. Honor our immigration detainers.”
President Trump weighed in too, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota officials don’t rein in the protests. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump posted to Truth Social.
Governor Tim Walz, meanwhile, is begging Trump to “turn the temperature down.” But with federal agents under fire and local officials giving mixed signals, the situation is far from cooling off.
The Biden administration has yet to comment, even as violent unrest in a major U.S. city enters the national spotlight.
Mayor Frey insists he’s never called for violence — only peace. But the videos, the headlines, and the fallout from his “get the f— out” line tell a different story.
The question now: can local leaders restore order, or will federal intervention be the next chapter in this increasingly dangerous standoff?
