Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey took to CNN’s *State of the Union* on Sunday, January 11, and delivered a masterclass in deflection, denial, and Democrat doublespeak—aimed squarely at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration.
Appearing with host Jake Tapper, Frey lashed out at DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after she publicly blasted him and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for recklessly inflaming anti-ICE sentiment in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Good. Rather than show restraint or call for calm, Frey doubled down—attacking federal agents, dismissing concerns over lawlessness, and bizarrely portraying Minneapolis as a model of public safety.
The facts tell a different story.
Good was shot after allegedly attempting to run over an ICE officer during a volatile protest targeting federal agents. The protest itself erupted amid a sweeping ICE crackdown on massive fraud networks in Minnesota—schemes that have siphoned off millions in taxpayer dollars and are reportedly tied to Somali migrant communities in the region. Federal officials have stated unequivocally that the officer acted in self-defense, describing Good as a “domestic terrorist” who used her vehicle as a weapon.
That characterization sent Frey into a rage.
Asked by Tapper to respond to Secretary Noem’s comments—specifically her accusation that Frey and Walz have demonized ICE and endangered officers—Frey launched into personal insults and partisan theatrics. He dismissed Noem as little more than a ventriloquist for President Trump, sneering that she couldn’t speak without him, a strange criticism given that Cabinet secretaries are expected to support the president’s agenda.
Then came Frey’s most astonishing claim: that Minneapolis is a remarkably safe city—and that ICE is the real threat.
“She’s calling Minneapolis this dystopian hellhole,” Frey complained, before insisting there have only been two shootings in the city so far this year—conveniently counting the ICE incident as one of them. In Frey’s telling, federal law enforcement, not criminals or violent protesters, is what’s making the city “far less safe.”
Tapper pressed further, noting Frey’s now-infamous statement telling ICE to “get the F out” of Minneapolis and asking whether such rhetoric might be contributing to rising tensions. Frey refused to back down. Instead, he repeated his accusation that the ICE agent “recklessly” used power, despite video evidence and official statements indicating the officer feared for his life.
Even more stunning was Frey’s defense of Good. Ignoring the administration’s findings, the mayor insisted she was not a domestic terrorist but merely a woman trying to leave the scene. He described her actions as a harmless multi-point turn—an explanation that strains credulity given the officer’s account and the chaotic protest environment.
“If doing a three-point turn is domestic terrorism,” Frey quipped, “then my wife is a criminal every single day.” It was a flippant remark about a deadly incident—one that underscored just how unserious the mayor is about law and order.
Frey closed by calling for a “neutral” investigation, arguing that neither he nor Secretary Noem should shape the narrative. Yet his appearance did exactly that: casting doubt on federal agents, legitimizing anti-ICE hostility, and signaling to protesters that city leadership has their back—even when violence erupts.
For conservatives, the takeaway is clear. While the Trump administration works to enforce the law, protect officers, and clean up years of fraud and disorder, Democrat mayors like Jacob Frey are more interested in playing politics, appeasing radicals, and blaming ICE for problems they created themselves.
Minneapolis deserves leadership rooted in reality—not denial.
