Minneapolis Mayor Visits Washington to Push for End of ‘Illegal ICE Operations’

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is headed to Washington, DC on Thursday to demand an end to “unlawful ICE operations,” his office announced.

Frey’s trip to the nation’s capital comes as White House border chief Tom Homan vowed Thursday to remain in Minnesota to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there “until the crisis is gone.” It is unclear whether Frey will meet with the White House while in Washington, but he is expected to address the US Conference of Mayors at 1:45 pm ET, before returning home later Thursday evening.

“Mayor Jacob Frey is traveling to Washington, DC today to attend the America’s Conference of Mayors, where he will meet with mayors and lawmakers across the country to advocate for an end to Operation Metro Surge and other illegal ICE operations,” his office said in a statement.

“During the visit, Mayor Frey will also participate in national discussions focused on how cities can work together to keep communities safe while enforcing the law,” it added. “Since Operation Metro Surge began in Minnesota, families have been torn apart, small businesses have suffered economic losses, and local law enforcement agencies have suffered tremendously.”

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Frey in his statement said, “Minneapolis may be where we’ve seen the largest ICE deployment in the country, but it won’t be the last if we fail to act.”

Homan said Thursday morning that the Trump administration is working on a “retrenchment plan” to reduce the presence of federal agents in Minnesota.

In a Truth Social post Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, “Incredibly, Mayor Jacob Frey just said, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.’ This is after having a good conversation with him.”

“Let someone in his inner space please explain that this statement is a serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!” Trump warned.

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Border Patrol Chief Tom Homan speaks during a news conference about ongoing immigration enforcement on Jan. 29, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Frey responded to the president’s comments.

“The job of our police is to keep people safe, not to enforce immigration laws. I want them to prevent murders, not to hunt down a working father who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s like the policy your boy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe by calling 911,” the mayor said in a post on May X, making a previous reference to Rudy City of New York on the New York Gianirent app.

Federal agents deal with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 14, 2026. (Jamie Vera/Fox News)

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The president issued the warning Wednesday after Frey, who met with Homan on Tuesday, announced in a Tuesday column on X that the city would not enforce the federal immigration law.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.