News/Commentary

Walz, Frey subpoenaed in criminal investigation for alleged impeding of ICE operations

January 17, 2026 | | Print Article

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department (DOJ) as per a new criminal investigation into their obstruction of federal immigration enforcement.

An insider source told CBS News that the investigation was launched because of disparaging remarks that Walz and Frey have both made about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who have been operating in and around the Minneapolis area.

“They are encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said of the two on Thursday. “This is putting the people of Minnesota in harm’s way.”

Later that same day, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller alleged during a radio show appearance that the two have been staging “an insurgency against the federal government.”

“What I would say very clearly is that you only have to read their own words and hear their own words and judge their own conduct,” he said while speaking on “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

“Understand that this is clearly an insurgency against the federal government. They are describing a federal government as an occupying force. Just think about that for a second,” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted to X earlier in the week, directly threatening Walz and Fry.

“Walz and Frey — I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary,” he wrote. “This is not a threat. It’s a promise.”

Neither Walz nor Frey, both of whom have been trash-talking ICE since day one, took kindly to the subpoenas.

“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,” Frey said in a statement. “I will not be intimidated. My focus will remain where it’s always been: keeping our city safe.”

ADVERTISEMENT

He’s evidently been “keeping” his “city safe” by protecting illegal alien murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers …

“Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin,” Walz said in his own statement. “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.”

Good was a trained leftist agitator who was killed by an ICE officer seconds before she seemed about to run him over.

ADVERTISEMENT

The specific federal statute being used to investigate (and potentially prosecute) Walz and Frey is 18 U.S.C. § 372.

The statute “makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to prevent federal officers from carrying out their official duties through ‘force, intimidation or threats,'” according to CBS News.

“The statute has historically been used in cases involving coordinated efforts to obstruct federal officials, including actions involving violence or threats,” the network notes. “Public criticism of federal policy has historically been treated as protected speech unless involving direct coordination or incitement to obstruct law enforcement.”

Vivek Saxena
Latest posts by Vivek Saxena (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles