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“Minnesota is grieving. But we’re resolved. The support we’ve received from across the country has energized us, and given us hope.
“It’s time for the federal government to draw down their forces and let us get back to allowing freedom, opportunity, and security – for everyone.
“The winds of public opinion are at our back. We will press this Administration until we see impartial investigations, the departure of federal forces, and an end to this campaign of retribution.
“Trump’s right hand cannot be responsible for investigating his left hand. We need an independent, impartial investigation now.”
Governor Walz wrote an op-ed, originally published in the Wall Street Journal. The full piece is available below.
Tim Walz: The Un-American Assault on Minnesota
The Trump administration’s assault on Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state. It isn’t just. It isn’t legal. And, critically, it isn’t making anyone any safer.
Quite the opposite: Immigration agents have now shot and killed two of our neighbors: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. And there are countless other stories of protesters and bystanders being physically attacked by federal agents, to say nothing of the chaos and violence being unleashed against the targets of these raids, many of whom have done nothing wrong except exist as a person of color.
The pretext for all this is the Trump administration’s insistence that our immigration laws would otherwise go unenforced. This federal occupation of Minnesota is, administration officials insist, about our predilection for releasing “violent criminal illegal aliens” from state custody.
I can’t stress this enough: The Trump administration has its facts wrong about Minnesota.
The administration claims that Minnesota jails release “the worst of the worst.” In reality, the Minnesota Department of Corrections honors all federal and local detainers by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person committed to its custody isn’t a U.S. citizen. There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody.
Yet the lies persist. This week, ICE tweeted that rural Cottonwood County had refused to honor a detainer for an alleged child sex predator. That’s not true. The county sheriff followed procedure and contacted ICE when the subject posted bail, but ICE agents were too busy wreaking havoc in the Twin Cities to do their actual job and pick the prisoner up.
Some of the administration’s claims are ridiculous on their face. For example: It claims that 1,360 non-U.S. citizens are in Minnesota prisons. The truth: Our total state prison population is roughly 8,000, and only 207 of them are noncitizens.
Earlier this month, the administration published what it claimed was a list of people who have been arrested as part of this ICE sweep, asserting that this list represents “the worst of the worst” criminals, and implying that we have been protecting them from capture.
Minnesota Public Radio investigated this claim and found it to be completely false: “Most of the people on the list had been immediately transferred to ICE custody at the end of time served in Minnesota prisons. All of those transfers happened before ICE began its surge of operations in Minnesota on Dec. 1, 2025, with some even happening years before.”
In other words, ICE is taking credit for arrests that state and local law enforcement made, activity that took place before this assault on our state even began.
Everyone wants to see our immigration laws enforced. That isn’t what is happening in Minnesota. In recent weeks, masked agents have abducted children. They have separated children from their parents. They have racially profiled off-duty police officers. They have aggressively pulled people over and demanded to see their papers. They have broken into the homes of elderly citizens without warrants to drag them outside in freezing temperatures.
That isn’t effective law enforcement. It isn’t following the rule of law. It’s chaos. It’s illegal. And it’s un-American.
I have repeatedly appealed to President Trump to lower the temperature. But he refuses. I fear that his hope is for the tension between ICE agents and the communities they’re ransacking to boil over—that he wants you to see more chaos on your TV screens, protests turn into riots, more people get hurt.
Minnesotans aren’t taking the bait. They are protesting—loudly and urgently, but also peacefully. They are helping their neighbors cope with this violent, lawless assault on people of color throughout the state—walking children to school safely, preparing mutual-aid packages, and organizing to make sure these atrocities are well-documented so that those responsible can face justice.
Minnesota is a state that believes in the rule of law and in the dignity of all people. We know that true public safety comes from trust, respect and shared purpose, not from intimidation or political theater.
This assault on our communities is not necessary to enforce our immigration laws. We don’t have to choose between open borders and whatever the hell this is. Mr. Trump can and must end this unlawful, violent and chaotic campaign, and we can and must rebuild an immigration enforcement system that is secure, accountable and humane.
 Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the launch of “Shop Local, Stand Together,” a new campaign encouraging Minnesotans to support small, locally owned businesses—particularly those which have seen reduced foot traffic and heightened fear and uncertainty due to the ongoing federal presence in Minnesota.
“The federal presence in Minnesota has been especially tough on our local businesses,” said Governor Walz. “Minnesotans have a long tradition of supporting one another in peaceful, actionable ways. Choosing to shop local, grab takeout, or visit a neighborhood store is one way we can stand with our neighbors and continue to show the nation what it means to respond with care and decency.”
Governor Walz has proclaimed February as Shop Local Month in Minnesota. Through this campaign, DEED and the State of Minnesota are partnering with local governments, economic development organizations, and business associations to promote community-based support for small businesses and connect owners with available resources.
In addition to encouraging everyday community support, business and philanthropic leaders across the state are mobilizing resources to help small businesses during this time. The Minneapolis Foundation, a nonprofit community foundation, recently activated an Economic Response Fund, launching $3.5 million in grants to support small businesses facing urgent challenges, including payroll, rent, staffing, and inventory needs. This is one of the many examples of Minnesotans stepping up to support one another.
Governor Walz issued an executive order implementing weapons screening at the Minnesota State Capitol. The implementation follows the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security (ACCAS) based on an independent security assessment commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
“Government cannot function effectively when elected officials fear for their safety. In the last year, Minnesota has seen horrific acts of political violence,” said Governor Walz. “This executive order will make the Capitol – the central seat of Minnesota’s state government – safer, ensuring the people’s house remains open, welcoming, and secure.”
“In Minnesota we have witnessed acts of gun violence and politically motivated attacks that have stoked fear and prompted questions of public safety,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “As Chair of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security I know that weapons screening is common sense. I am proud of the work that this committee has done to protect the home of our democracy and ensure that every person who enters the State Capitol can do so without fear.”
Executive Order 26-02 follows recommendations from ACCAS based on suggested improvements outlined by the Axtell Group, a private security firm contracted by the Minnesota State Patrol to assess the security of four buildings on the capitol complex. The Axtell Group’s independent Capitol security assessment recommended a consistent weapons and hazardous materials screening model to keep dangerous items out of public spaces and keep the Capitol safe for employees, public officials, and visitors.
The Minnesota State Capitol hosts thousands of visitors annually and regularly accommodates large gatherings involving all three branches of government. Weapons screening will enable security personnel to detect and prevent the introduction of unlawful dangerousitems into the Capitol, maintaining safety during high-activity periods. Screening will serve as a deterrent to those who may wish to bring illegal weapons into the Capitol to commit violence, intimidate people, or interfere with the orderly work of government.
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