Federal prosecutors served grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to multiple Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed federal immigration enforcement operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her all confirmed receiving subpoenas Tuesday. The subpoenas arrived the same day Attorney General Pam Bondi visited Minnesota.
Frey’s subpoena requires him to appear in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on February 3. Sources said the investigation examines whether officials may have conspired to impede federal officers from discharging their duties.
The federal probe represents an escalation in tensions between the Justice Department and Minnesota officials, who have strongly opposed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state.
Walz responded in a statement that Minnesota would “not be drawn into political theater.” He described the investigation as “a partisan distraction” rather than a pursuit of justice.
“Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community,” Walz said.
Frey accused the federal government of weaponizing its power against local leaders. “We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” he said. “In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid.”
Ellison confirmed his office received a subpoena seeking records, though not directed at him personally. “Less than two weeks ago, federal agents shot and killed a Minnesotan in broad daylight,” he said in a statement. “Now, instead of seriously investigating the killing of Renee Good, Trump is weaponizing the justice system against any leader who dares stand up to him.”
The federal statute being invoked has roots in the Civil War era and has rarely been used. It appeared on a list of statutes in a memo from Bondi last month that outlined how federal prosecutors could charge political agitators with crimes.
Federal officials are also investigating Good’s partner to determine whether she may have impeded a federal officer moments before Good was shot and killed, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and ICE leader Marcos Charles held a news briefing defending immigration officers’ work. “They’re everyday people doing a very hard job, trying to enforce the immigration laws in an environment where local and state politicians have been spreading rhetoric that dehumanizes these officers and agents,” Charles said.
Minnesota officials have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to end what they describe as unconstitutional excesses of the enforcement surge. On Friday, a federal judge barred immigration agents from arresting, detaining, or using crowd-control munitions against peaceful protesters.
The Justice Department on Monday appealed that ruling.
Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2024, has pointed to investigations opened against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and several Democratic lawmakers who previously served in the armed forces as evidence of political targeting.
