Trump accuses Minneapolis mayor of violating law over immigration enforcement

President Donald Trump accused Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday of breaking the law after Frey said that “Minneapolis does and will not enforce federal immigration laws,” the president wrote on Truth Social in response. Frey made the comment in a social media post saying he had “made it clear” to White House border czar Tom Homan—whom Trump dispatched to Minneapolis—that local officers would not carry out federal immigration enforcement.

Trump had appeared to soften his tone toward Frey earlier in the week but then renewed his criticism after the statement. Frey responded that “the job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws,” reiterating his position on local law enforcement’s role amid the federal operation in the city.

Courts have repeatedly ruled that the federal government cannot force states and cities to enforce federal immigration laws, and the Supreme Court’s 1997 Printz v. United States opinion—quoted in the reporting—says the Federal Government may not compel the States to enact or administer a federal regulatory program.

Legal experts told TIME that while the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over immigration, states and localities may lawfully refuse to cooperate with federal officers. State and city leaders such as Illinois Gov. J.B.

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