Federal prosecutors subpoena five Minnesota officials in expanded immigration probe

Federal prosecutors issued subpoenas on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, to at least five Democratic officials in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The subpoenas sought documents related to the officials’ policies on immigration enforcement efforts and were formally served on their offices. The move represents a significant expansion of the Justice Department’s inquiry into state leaders’ responses to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown; the investigation was initially said to have focused on Mr. Frey and Mr. Walz.

The subpoenas did not cite a specific criminal statute, and the inquiry was said to focus on whether elected officials conspired to impede the thousands of federal agents who have been in the state since last month looking for undocumented immigrants. Mr. Ellison and Ms. Moriarty could open their own inquiries into the fatal shooting this month of a 37-year-old woman, Renee Good, by a federal immigration agent. It remains unclear what specific charges, if any, investigators are pursuing.

Key Topics

Politics, Justice Department, Tim Walz, Jacob Frey, Kaohly Her, Keith Ellison