Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Discusses Federal Immigration Policies on CNN

During a recent interview with CNN, Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis discussed his opposition to a federal immigration policy previously implemented during Barack Obama’s presidency and currently advocated by President Donald Trump. Frey appeared on The Arena with Kasie Hunt to address the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw 700 federal agents from Minneapolis following two shootings that involved federal officers.

While Frey emphasized his resistance to what he termed as ‘coercion’ from the Trump administration regarding immigration enforcement, Hunt highlighted that some policies endorsed by conservatives were also applied during Obama’s presidency. She mentioned that in the Obama years, the Hennepin County Jail had allowed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent to maintain an office, enabling them to communicate with immigrants.

“Do you think it’s good policy for jails to cooperate with an ICE detainer and hand over someone who has committed a crime?” Hunt inquired. Frey replied, “You’re asking all the right questions here, and while I don’t have full expertise on the jail’s operations, it isn’t within our jurisdiction.”

Frey suggested that if federal authorities sought a federal warrant, it could align with existing state warrants to provide a legal basis for holding individuals post-bail. He stressed that after the initial detention’s terms are met, a second detention without proper legal framework is not justified.

Despite requests, Frey’s office has yet to respond to Fox News Digital for comment. In a separate NBC News interview, Trump clarified his stance on withdrawing officers from Minneapolis, describing it as a compromise over releasing illegal immigrant detainees. He indicated a more considerate approach could be used in implementing immigration enforcement while retaining a necessary level of toughness when addressing significant criminal activity.

“I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough,” Trump stated. He explained that although he had positive discussions with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Frey, their public reactions did not reflect those conversations.