The Justice Department has opened a federal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, examining whether the two Democratic officials sought to obstruct immigration enforcement through their public responses to a sweeping federal operation in the Twin Cities.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that investigators are reviewing statements made by Walz and Frey after Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol launched what the Department of Homeland Security has described as the largest enforcement deployment in its history. Nearly 3,000 federal agents were sent to the Minneapolis area in recent weeks to arrest individuals suspected of being in the country illegally and to investigate related fraud allegations.
According to those sources, the inquiry is focused on potential violations of 18 U.S.C. § 372, which criminalizes conspiracies to prevent federal officers from carrying out their duties through force, intimidation, or threats, according to CBS News. Subpoenas are expected as part of the investigation, though a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
The federal presence has triggered intense backlash locally, including protests and confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement. Tensions escalated sharply after the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by an ICE officer last week. Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was killed during an encounter involving federal agents, an incident that has galvanized criticism of the operation and renewed calls for accountability.
Both Walz and Frey have denounced the deployment as reckless and destabilizing. Frey warned that the situation had become untenable, saying residents were pressing local police to confront federal agents despite limited resources. “We cannot be at a place right now in America where we have two governmental entities that are literally fighting one another,” he said.
After reports of the investigation surfaced, Frey accused the administration of retaliatory tactics. “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets. I will not be intimidated. My focus will remain where it’s always been: keeping our city safe,” he said.
Walz echoed that criticism, framing the probe as part of a broader pattern. “Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” he said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi had one reply that should sound familiar to Democrats:
A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 17, 2026
Administration officials, meanwhile, have forcefully defended the operation and condemned the rhetoric coming from Minnesota’s leadership. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Walz and Frey needed to bring their city under control, arguing that their comments encouraged interference with law enforcement, which she noted is a federal felony. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who traveled to Minneapolis with FBI Director Kash Patel, previously wrote on Twitter, “Walz and Frey- I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise.” Attorney General Pam Bondi added in a separate post, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.”
On the ground in Minneapolis today with @DAGToddBlanche supporting @FBIMinneapolis and our local partners – this team is working 24/7 here cracking down on violent rioters and investigating the funding networks supporting the criminal actors with multiple arrests already. They’ve… pic.twitter.com/vxq9R2doJF
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 16, 2026
In a viral post on Twitter, alleged whistleblowers from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services charged that Walz “is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota,” recounting years of ignored warnings, internal suppression, and what they describe as a climate of intimidation designed to keep billions in losses out of public view. According to the employees, they approached the governor early, hoping to partner with his administration to stop the fraud, but instead encountered “monitoring, threats, repression,” and a sustained campaign to discredit their reports. Rather than strengthen oversight, they wrote, the Walz administration and allied legislators “attacked whistleblowers,” while an indifferent media stood by. The result, they said, was an environment that left frontline staff “scary, isolating and wondering who we can turn to.
Their account described a system that steadily unraveled under Walz’s leadership, beginning with what they call his deliberate weakening of the Office of the Legislative Auditor, which allowed agencies to disregard audit findings entirely.
It was also revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars were ferried out of Minnesota by Somali carriers via the Minneapolis airport, which was completely disregarded by the Biden administration.
[Read More: Canada Looks To Abandon Friendship With America]
Prosecute both
Is the riots gonna last all year??
We are a nation of laws. No one, especially a mayor or governor, has a right to ignore our laws.