Minneapolis mayor announces city will not cooperate with Trump’s deportation policy

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that he would not cooperate with federal law enforcement officers on deportations of illegal immigrants. 

Over the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s second term, federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and their partners conducted nationwide roundups of more than 1,200 illegal immigrants who were charged with or convicted of committing crimes on American soil.

“I want to speak directly to people who are undocumented: we love you. We care about you,” Frey, a Democrat, said at a press conference. “In the city of Minneapolis, we will stand up for you and we will do anything in our power to help because you’re not an alien; in our city you’re a neighbor.” 

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“Now, in Minneapolis we have what is called a separation ordinance,” Frey continued, explaining his legal strategy to avoid deportations. “And that separation ordinance states clearly that our city officials, our police officers and beyond will not be gathering information showing who is and is not documented.” 

“We do not ask the question with regards to immigration status and, because we haven’t asked the question, we don’t have any data to show documentation status in our city,” the mayor said. 

“Our police officers will not be cooperating with federal law enforcement around federal immigration law. We enforce state and local laws here in Minneapolis, and we will do so to the best of our ability. But as for cooperation with ICE, the answer is no,” Frey said. 

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After Trump entered office, White House officials signaled that the administration would work diligently to stem the flow of illegal immigration. 

“So to foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “Under this president, you will be detained and you will be deported. Every day, Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump’s administration is removing from our communities.”

Fox News’ Alexander Hall and Diana Stacy contributed to this report.