A high-stakes battle between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and the Department of Homeland Security escalated Thursday as both sides traded accusations online in the midst of a massive federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
The digital standoff follows a chaotic Wednesday night in Minneapolis, where a DHS officer conducting a traffic stop shot an illegal Venezuelan immigrant.
DHS said the illegal immigrant fled the scene and “violently assaulted” the officer alongside two others armed with a snow shovel and a broomstick.
Walz issued a “direct appeal to the President” on X, asking to “turn the temperature down” in Minnesota, calling ICE’s presence a “campaign of retribution.” Walz also asked Minnesotans to remain peaceful in their protests.
DHS and ICE official accounts quickly fired back, placing the blame for the violence squarely on the governor’s rhetoric.
“The buck stops with you, Governor. Tone down the hostile, inflammatory anti-ICE rhetoric,” ICE posted. “Work with ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from MN streets.”
TRUMP WARNS OF JANUARY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OVER OBAMACARE
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told the Washington Examiner the problems lie in Walz’s leadership, and he should look to the federal government for help.
“I don’t anticipate that the streets will get any safer, or more peaceful. Governor Walz and his leadership team need to come to us and find out how we can work together like we have in many other states,” Noem said.
Walz has framed the federal response not as a law enforcement necessity but as a targeted “occupation” intended to punish a political rival. He accused DHS and ICE of “raining down chaos” on local communities, urging residents to document future prosecution.
He has encouraged residents to “protest loudly” and record ICE to build a “database of atrocities” for future prosecution.
Walz’s social media expression followed Trump’s threats to invoke the Insurrection Act in the North Star state to quell the unrest. On Truth Social, the president places the onus on “corrupt politicians” like Walze to stop “professional agitators” from attacking federal agents.
TRUMP FIRST YEAR REPORT CARD: A- PROMISE KEEPER OR ‘NIGHTMARE’ FAILURE
The escalation stems from the fatal shooting of Renee Good, who was shot after striking an ICE agent with her SUV, causing internal bleeding. While DHS has characterized Good as a “domestic terrorist” who used her vehicle as a weapon, Walz and local leaders have highlighted her status as a U.S. citizen and legal observer.
Federal authorities have taken over the investigation into Good’s shooting, a responsibility Walz has said should be held in tandem with Minnesota officials.
Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.
