Minneapolis City Mayor Jacob Frey has pushed back on a suggestion made by DHS head Kristi Noem regarding designated protest areas. Frey rejected the idea, saying that people's right to free speech should not be limited to specific areas amidst ongoing protests by residents against federal officers.
Frey appeared on CBS Face the Nation, where he was asked about Noem's comments on potentially assigning certain places as protest areas. Noem appeared earlier on the programme and suggested that a specific area could be assigned as a peaceful protest zone for Minneapolis residents to exercise their freedom of speech. 'First Amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city,' Frey said. 'You are allowed to protest, so long as you're doing it peacefully. And by the way, we've got tens of thousands of people in Minneapolis that are grinning down the bear, that are peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights. So no, you can't have just one section of the city'.
Today, I joined Minnesota leaders in front of Congressional members to share the impacts ICE actions have had on our neighbors. Democrat or Republican, we should all be speaking out against unconstitutional federal actions in our communities. pic.twitter.com/UIDDdrlGi3
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 16, 2026
Increased Tensions in Minnesota
Frey's comments come amidst growing tensions between residents of the state and federal officers, both ICE and Border Patrol. The tension grew earlier this month, when an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good. The officer was later identified as Jonathan Ross, whom Noem and the rest of the Trump administration defended, as having shot Good in self-defence.
In a separate appearance, this time on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Frey also commented on President Donald Trump's threats to invoke the Insurrection Act and send troops to the area. Frey said that to do so would be a 'shocking step,' while citing the city's low crime statistics as a reason not to have more federal law enforcement around.
'We don't need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe,' said Frey. 'In Minneapolis, we're not going to be intimidated. We're not backing down. We're going to grin down this bear and do so again with peace.'
I want our police officers spending their time keeping people safe, not hunting down our neighbors. pic.twitter.com/ocWnDlIXdq
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) January 11, 2026
Frey to Comply with DOJ Probe
Likely in retaliation for his criticism of the Trump administration and the DHS for the surge of ICE officers, the Justice Department has since launched an investigation into Frey, as well as Minnesota's Democratic governor Tim Walz. The DOJ accused Frey and Walz of allegedly conspiring to hinder immigration enforcement in the state.
'There are other countries where you get put away for the things that you say,' said Frey on the 18 January episode of ABC's This Week. 'There are other countries where you get investigated for saying something that runs counter to what the federal government states. But in this country, it's not that way.'
While Frey said he has yet to receive a subpoena, he would cooperate with the probe if needed because he 'has done nothing wrong.'
'We are doing everything possible right now to keep people safe in our city,' Frey added. 'We have spoken out to make sure that our residents are protected and people's constitutional rights are upheld. Speaking out in that way is not illegality.'
