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‘How many more have to die?’: Minneapolis mayor demands Trump end ‘invasion’

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has sharply criticized the presence of federal law enforcement in the city following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man by federal agents, demanding an end to the operation and calling on President Donald Trump to remove federal officers from Minneapolis.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Frey said the shooting came just weeks after another fatal incident in the city involving federal agents, when Minneapolis mother Renee Good was killed by an ICE officer.

“How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?” he asked.

Mayor to Trump: ‘Ditch your political narrative’

“How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?” the official further questioned.

Frey directly appealed to Trump to withdraw federal law enforcement from the city.

“How many times must local and national leaders plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city,” the mayor said. “We have seen these kinds of operations in other places, in other countries, but not here in America, not in a way where a great American city is being invaded by its own federal government.”

He rejected claims that local officials or community members were responsible for escalating tensions in the streets.

“I’m done being told that our community members are responsible for the vitriol in our streets,” Frey said. “I’m done being told that our local elected officials are solely responsible for turning down the temperature.”

Frey also referenced recent protests in the city, contrasting them with the current unrest.

“Just yesterday, we saw 15,000 people peacefully protesting in the streets, speaking out, standing up for their neighbors. Not a single broken window, not a single injury,” he said. “So, to everyone listening, stand with Minneapolis. Stand up for America. Recognize that your children will ask you what side you were on.”

The mayor’s remarks followed the shooting death of a man later identified by his parents as ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the victim was given first aid and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis at around 9:00 a.m. local time when the incident occurred. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed the man “approached” US Border Patrol officers, while “armed with a handgun” and “violently resisted” as they attempted to disarm him, adding that an agent fired “defensive shots.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also reacted to the incident, saying he had spoken with White House officials and urged Trump to pull ICE agents from the city.

“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz wrote in a post on X.


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