Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are under federal investigation, in an escalation of the Trump's administration's clash with Democrats.

The Department of Justice alleges the two politicians obstructed federal law enforcement activities, CBS has reported.

The investigation centres around comments the two have made about ICE operations in Minneapolis, where protests and unrest have continued since an agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good earlier this month.

Walz and Frey have both condemned federal immigration operations in the city.

"Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic," Walz told the BBC in response to the news of the investigation. "The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her."

Frey has yet to comment publicly.

Minneapolis authorities are also bracing for more protests on Saturday, including a conservative-led March Against Minnesota Fraud.

Minnesota National Guard Major General Shawn Manke said they were ready to help if they were ordered to do so, and soldiers have been brought to various locations so they can have a faster response time.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said authorities are working to secure the area and that he "doesn't want to see anymore" violence.

We are pausing our live coverage on this page, but you can read more about the situation in Minnesota here.

Image source, Getty Images

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is the federal law enforcement agency leading the Trump administration's mass deportation initiative, which was a central promise of Trump's election campaign.

The agency enforces immigration laws and conducts investigations into undocumented immigration. It also plays a role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US.

Trump has significantly expanded ICE, its budget and its mission, since returning to the White House, and reportedly set them a target of 3,000 arrests a day.

Agents have the power to stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally. They can use deadly force "if the person poses a serious danger to them or other people, or the person has committed a violent crime", one expert told the BBC.

BBC Verify found ICE and other agencies had increased their use of tacticssuch as masked and plain clothes agents, unmarked vehicles, and arrests at places like hospitals, courts and schools.

Immigration lawyers have told the BBC that, once ICE detains an individual, it can sometimes take days for families or lawyers to find out where they are.

The investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reportedly centres around comments the two have made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent weeks.

We don't know the exact comments that sparked an investigation, but both of the Democrats have frequently criticised ICE. They have also urged protesters to remain peaceful.

In the aftermath of Renee Good's fatal shooting by an ICE agent, the mayor used an expletive to demand ICE leave his city. "We do not want you here," Frey said.

Frey has also accused federal agents of illegally targeting people who they assumed to be immigrants based on racial profiling.

Walz has previously called ICE a "modern-day Gestapo".

"This operation was never about safety, it’s a targeted political operation and Minnesota won’t stand for it," he said.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Walz and Frey are "encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony".

On Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X: "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."

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has just spoken about the Justice Department's investigation into himself and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

"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," Walz told the BBC in a statement.

"The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her."

Senators Slotkin and Kelly, both Democrats, have said they are under investigation for a social media video posted last year that told US military service members that they could refuse any illegal orders.

Powell, the Fed chair, is being investigated by the Justice Department over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation into Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey hinges on one federal statute, CBS News reports.

Known as "conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer", this particular law makes it a crime for two or more people to plot to use "force, intimidation or threats" to get in the way of federal authorities carrying out their duties.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock/Reuters

The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, BBC's US partner CBS News reports.

The two lawmakers, both Democrats, are being investigated for allegedly obstructing law enforcement activities, officials told CBS.

The investigation reportedly originated over comments Walz and Frey have made about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who have been deployed to Minneapolis in recent weeks.

It comes two weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Both lawmakers have been critical of the Trump administration's use of ICE in the city.

The BBC has reached out to Walz and Frey for comment.

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Earlier today, President Trump posted on Truth Social that: "In Minnesota, the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals".

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, was just asked by CNN journalist Jake Tapper about the president's claim of paid agitators.

"We have no information that that is true. We have information that that in fact is false, and if he is going to make such a claim, maybe he should bring some evidence of it. People are outside because they are upset," Ellison says.

Minnesota National Guard Major General Shawn Manke now takes some questions.

He says he does not know if the National Guard will be on the street this weekend, but they "have gone through a bunch of training" and are "ready".

He adds that they have been brought to "various locations" so their "response time can be quicker" and they will be "there if needed".

And with that, the briefing ends.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Bob Jacobson says authorities don't have an estimate on how many people will attend the March Against Minnesota Fraud, a protest organised by a conservative social media influence for Saturday.

It will take place in the Cedar-Riverside neighbourhood of Minneapolis, and Johnson says agencies are working together to try and keep the area safe.

He's seen enough violence, he says, and he "doesn't want to see anymore".

An official is addressing the briefing. He thanks the thousands of Minnesotans who have protested peacefully so far.

The demonstrations include "strong emotions, beliefs and desires", he says, asking people to express themselves "safely".

Any actions that "jeopardise public safety" will not be tolerated he says, and protests must remain "lawful".

In just a few minutes, we're expecting to hear from Minnesota law enforcement agencies, who will give a public safety briefing ahead of possible protests this weekend.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota National Guard and other partner agencies are set to speak.

A "March Against Minnesota Fraud" is set to take place on Saturday. Some residents have raised concerns that the march, organised by a conservative influencer, may lead to harassment against some residents.

We'll bring you any key lines from law enforcement. Stick with us.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is doubling down on claims that Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, was a "domestic terrorist".

In an exchange with CNN anchors, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin repeated previous lines that Good was using her car as a "deadly weapon".

"It was an act of domestic terrorism," McLaughlin said. "In no way is that outrageous ... She had been stalking and harassing law enforcement all morning."

She said Good's actions leading up to the shooting were a "federal crime".

The Trump administration says the ICE agent acted in self-defence, while local officials argue the woman posed no danger.

Image source, Getty Images

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the Democratic Party "demonize[s]" federal law enforcement officers and claimed its politicians want to "abolish ICE".

In a post on X earlier on Friday, she says: "Democrats do not want our borders secured, and they do not want criminal illegal aliens deported from our country.

"That's why Democrats have dangerous sanctuary policies in place that block local and state law enforcement from working with the Administration to remove violent illegal aliens.

"That's why Democrats demonize and put a target on the backs of federal law enforcement officers who are simply doing their jobs to keep Americans safe.

"And that's why Democrats are recklessly calling to defund federal law enforcement and abolish ICE.

"Democrats will not keep the American people safe."

In a more recent post, she says quotes from an article in the Washington Reporter.

The article claims for the eighth consecutive month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded zero parole releases, calling this a "win" in the headline.

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In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. 

Renee Good sustained at least three gunshot wounds and a possible fourth according to official reports, the BBC's US partner CBS news reports.

According to an incident report from Minneapolis Fire Department, seen by CBS, it appeared that Good was shot twice in the chest, one to her left forearm, and "a possible gunshot wound with protruding tissue on the left side of the patient's head".

The 37-year-old was found unresponsive with an irregular pulse once paramedics arrived at the scene, and was pronounced dead in the ambulance to the hospital.

The deadly shooting of Good by an ICE agent has sparked ongoing protests.

Image source, Getty Images

In St Paul, Minnesota, a group of Congressional Democrats just held a press conference where they denounced ICE and called immigration actions in the state unnecessarily cruel.

Adriano Espaillat, a Congressman from New York, says ICE had become a "deadly weapon".

Ilhan Omar, a Congresswoman from Minnesota who has long feuded with Trump, claims ICE has "disappeared" people who have lawful status as either US citizens or green card holders.

She says ICE agents used to have targeted operations and would tell local officials beforehand. That's not the case anymore, she adds.

The group also called for guardrails for ICE agents, who they claim "terrorise US citizens".

Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal lays out a list of asks, including a ban on ICE agents wearing masks, a requirement of body cameras and name tags, and no arrests without judicial warrants.

"This is not getting the 'worst of the worst' off the street as Donald Trump said," she says.

We are receiving fresh pictures of the protests outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, which has become a de-facto ICE headquarters.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Tom Bateman
Reporting from Minneapolis

I'm in Minneapolis where protests have been continuing against immigration raids.

We’ve been driving around with one resident, part of a group of local community members who try to document ICE operations in their neighbourhoods.

The woman, who has asked for her name not to be used for her safety, says federal agents are in this area daily stalking parking lots as part of a dragnet to find immigrants.

Parts of the city remain tense. Last night we were outside the Whipple Building, a federal government facility which has become a de-facto ICE headquarters.

Some 200 demonstrators were outside, holding banners and shouting anti-ICE slogans; while federal agents warned them over loudspeakers not to touch the fence surrounding the building or they would be arrested.

We witnessed a lengthy stand-off between protesters and police, who deployed a line of officers in tactical gear to force the protesters back. Later, videos showed tear gas being fired at the crowd.

Image source, EPA

President Trump says he does not plan to use the Insurrection Act to quell protests in Minnesota. It's a change in course after he threatened to use the law just yesterday.

He also wrote on Truth Social earlier: "If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!"

As he departed the White House for the weekend, Trump told reporters: "If I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it."

He added: "It's very powerful."