Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s suggestion that the city establish a designated protest area, rejecting the idea during separate Sunday morning appearances on CBS News’ Face the Nation.
Noem argued for creating a “peaceful protest zone” as a way to balance public safety with First Amendment rights. Frey disagreed, saying, “First Amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city.”
After Frey’s remarks, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded in a statement to Newsweek on Sunday, saying in part: “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly–not rioting,” while defending federal operations as “appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law.”
The back-and-forth comes as tensions rise over federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis, where nearly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents have been deployed in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has described as its largest operation in history.
Why It Matters
The public dispute arrives as the Justice Department investigates Frey and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over allegations they conspired to impede federal immigration agents—an inquiry first reported by CBS News. The investigation follows weeks of protests and clashes connected to the federal deployment, including the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on January 7.
President Donald Trump threatened last week to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests. The Pentagon has reportedly placed approximately 1,500 active-duty troops from the 11th Airborne Division on prepare-to-deploy orders in case Trump seeks to send them to Minnesota, according to the Washington Post.
What To Know
Noem proposed a “peaceful protest zone” as part of a broader framework for federal-local cooperation on security. She said designated areas would allow demonstrators to exercise their First Amendment rights while enabling law enforcement to focus on apprehending people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.
“We would love that,” the secretary said. “We can work together to make sure we’re getting criminals to justice and letting people still express their First Amendment rights.”
Frey rejected the concept, arguing that constitutional protections do not stop at the edge of an approved location.
“You are allowed to protest, so long as you’re doing it peacefully,” the mayor said. “We’ve got tens of thousands of people in Minneapolis that are grinning down the bear, that are peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights. So no, you can’t have just one section of a city. That’s not the way First Amendment works.”
Later, during NBC News’ Meet the Press, Frey also defended Walz’s message encouraging residents to peacefully film ICE agents, calling it “a basic constitutional principle.” Frey said crime statistics were down across multiple categories, according to city data, adding: “We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe.”
City data through January 17 shows crime in Minneapolis declining across several categories over the last 28 days, including vandalism, theft and weapons violations. Over that same period, however, the city has seen increases in certain categories, such as assault offenses and motor vehicle theft.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to Frey’s interview, accusing him in a statement to NBC News of “putting criminal illegal aliens before law-abiding Americans.” She also criticized what she described as “his smears against law enforcement officers that incite violence.”
Frey told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker it “would be a shocking step” if Trump were to deploy the military under the Insurrection Act. He added that he has not received a subpoena but called the inquiry “deeply concerning if the federal government is targeting someone for a product that is quite literally my job.”
The Justice Department investigation centers on 18 U.S.C. § 372, a law that criminalizes conspiracies to obstruct federal officers through force, intimidation or threats. Walz and Frey have repeatedly called for peaceful protests while criticizing the federal deployment.
What Happens Next
The standoff between federal agents and local officials shows no sign of immediate resolution. Protests continue in Minneapolis, and Minnesota leaders are urging ICE to leave the city.
