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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had already warned earlier this year that Frey’s actions were skating dangerously close to criminal conduct.
At the time, critics dismissed the warning as political theater.
Now the temperature has changed dramatically.
According to reports surrounding the federal probe, DOJ investigators have spent months examining whether Frey, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and other city leaders coordinated efforts to obstruct ICE operations through public pressure campaigns, police stand-down orders, and organized interference during deportation actions.
Federal subpoenas reportedly went out earlier this year as prosecutors examined whether local officials crossed the line between protected speech and direct obstruction of federal law enforcement.
The latest remarks from Frey may have intensified that scrutiny overnight.
The mayor has repeatedly framed ICE activity as harmful to immigrant communities, but critics argue his administration moved far beyond simple disagreement with federal policy. During the height of demonstrations, Frey publicly told federal agents to “get the f*** out of Minneapolis” while crowds outside reportedly clashed with officers and attempted to block enforcement operations.
At the same time, Minneapolis officials encouraged residents to report ICE sightings through emergency channels, a move critics blasted as reckless and dangerous.
Republicans say that strategy helped create chaos in the streets while putting federal officers directly in harm’s way.
Supporters of immigration enforcement point to ICE detention data showing Minnesota facilities were holding more than 1,300 immigration detainers involving individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes. Because local cooperation was limited, federal agents were allegedly forced into riskier field operations instead of conducting secure transfers from jails.
That dynamic became a major focus during recent congressional hearings examining sanctuary jurisdictions.
Lawmakers argued that when local leaders refuse cooperation, federal officers are pushed into unpredictable confrontations in neighborhoods and public spaces rather than controlled detention settings.
The result, they warned, is exactly what unfolded in Minneapolis.
Federal agents injured.
Operations disrupted.
Violent agitators emboldened.
And politicians celebrating resistance.
Critics also compared Frey’s tactics to events in New York City last year, when demonstrations targeting federal immigration operations escalated outside 26 Federal Plaza. Multiple agitators and activists were arrested after attempts to interfere with federal activity, raising fresh concerns inside the Trump administration that organized obstruction campaigns were spreading nationwide.
Now conservatives believe Frey may have publicly confirmed those suspicions himself.
What makes this moment especially dangerous for the Minneapolis mayor is not simply the rhetoric, but the growing perception that his comments revealed intent.
Opponents say Frey was not merely criticizing ICE policy.
He openly described an effort to halt federal immigration enforcement “in their tracks.”
That phrase is now likely to appear repeatedly in DOJ memos, congressional hearings, and conservative media coverage as the administration ramps up pressure on sanctuary city leaders across the country.
For months, Frey insisted the demonstrations were largely peaceful and community-driven.
Now the political shield that protected him may be collapsing under the weight of his own words.
The Trump administration has made clear it intends to aggressively pursue officials accused of undermining federal immigration authority. And after Frey’s latest remarks, many conservatives believe the legal battle surrounding sanctuary cities may be entering an entirely new phase.
The question is no longer whether Jacob Frey wanted to stop ICE operations.
The mayor already answered that himself.
