Tensions Rise As Minnesota Addresses Federal Scrutiny In Shootings

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- During an address to Minnesotans Wednesday night, GovernorTim Walz condemned the ongoing presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota:

Let's be very, very clear. This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.

Walz says as bad as it's been, President Trump intends for it to get worse and wants this chaos:

We cannot give him what he wants. We can. We must protest, loudly, urgently, but also peacefully.

In his address, Walz also criticized the Justice Department for excluding the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from its investigation into the deadly shooting. He also condemned the federal government for probing Good and her family, citing that investigation as a key factor behind the resignation of several federal prosecutors, including Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson.

Minnesota Speaker of the House and gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth issued the following statement in response to a brief address Gov. Tim Walz delivered on federal ICE operations in Minnesota.

“Gov. Walz could have spent tonight coordinating with ICE to honor detainers and keep criminals off our streets,” Demuth said. “Instead, he chose to go on TV and repeat tired talking points to appease activists who want to prevent deportation of even the most heinous criminals. Minnesota deserves better.”

While the Governor was addressing Minnesotans, law enforcement responded to another shooting involving federal agents. Police Chief Brian O’Hara says they got the 9-1-1 just before 7 p-m.

"Preliminary information indicates that there was a struggle with a federal agent in front of the residence. During the struggle, the federal agent discharged his weapon striking one adult male. The adult male then retreated inside the residence, eventually federal agents made entry and the individual was brought to an ambulance where he was brought to the hospital."

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, "federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022." D-H-S officials say the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life.