Former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday, accusing them of attempting to block federal immigration enforcement. Fahey said the actions taken by the Democratic officials amount to a “subversion effort” aimed at undermining President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
He made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News, where he joined host Jon Scott on Fox Report, Mediaite reported.
The interview aired shortly after Frey publicly called on Trump to remove Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Border Patrol agents from Minnesota following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man earlier in the day.
During the segment, Fox News aired footage of Frey describing recent anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis as “peaceful” and said they “embody the very principles” of what it means to be an American.
Fahey rejected that characterization. He said Frey has actively worked to make it more difficult for federal agents to carry out their duties.
“[Frey’s] talking about our democracy,” Fahey said. “Well, part of our democracy is we have elections and we pass laws, and the Executive branch enforces the laws. And he’s using his authority to prevent the law from being enforced.”
Fahey said both Frey and Walz have created what he described as de facto “no-go zones” for federal immigration enforcement.
“It’s a complete subversion effort by him and Governor Walz — the likes of which we have not seen probably since the Civil War,” Fahey said.
He said the president has a responsibility to ensure that federal law is enforced and not selectively blocked by state or local officials.
“You can’t have a state, you can’t have a politician, and you can’t have some activists decide what federal laws get enforced and where they get enforced,” Fahey said. “It’s really outrageous conduct.”
Fahey served as acting ICE director for a two-week period during Trump’s first term, from late 2020 to early 2021.
His comments came hours after a protester was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis.
The man was identified by the Minnesota Star Tribune as Alex Jeffrey Pretti.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti was a “lawful gun owner.”
The shooting triggered additional anti-ICE and anti-Border Patrol protests in Minneapolis, which has seen weeks of unrest following the earlier shooting death of protester Renee Good.
Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino told reporters that Pretti approached agents with a 9 mm handgun while they were apprehending a violent illegal immigrant from Ecuador.
“The suspect also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID,” Bovino said. “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said earlier this month that the city is in an “impossible situation” and that the current circumstances are “not sustainable” after a federal immigration agent shot a man during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, sparking renewed tensions and protests.
The comments came a week after Renee Good, but weeks before the shooting of Alex Petti.
In remarks to reporters, Frey said there remain many unanswered questions about the latest shooting but reiterated his view that the ongoing federal enforcement actions are straining local resources and community trust.
“There’s still a lot that we don’t know at this time, but what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable,” Frey said. “This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in, and at the same time, we are trying to find a way forward, to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order. And we’re in a position right now where we have residents that are asking the very limited number of police officers that we have to fight ICE agents on the street, to stand by their neighbors.”
