Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Friday for the federal government to “draw down their forces” in the state, saying residents have “yet to see meaningful change” from White House border czar Tom Homan, in a message posted on X.
The post came as organizers pushed a nationwide protest strike against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, using the slogan “no work, no school, no shopping.” Reports from The Associated Press described school walkouts, canceled classes and marches in multiple cities, including locations far from Minnesota.
In Minneapolis, protests continued for a second week after the Justice Department said it had opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI is conducting the examination and described it as a regular review, while cautioning against overstating its extent.
Blanche said investigators are examining whether federal officers violated the law when Pretti was disarmed and shot multiple times. Reuters reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed two federal officers were involved in the shooting. Reuters also reported that the department’s review is focused on civil rights issues and that any criminal case against officers would face a high legal threshold. (Reuters)
Homan has publicly raised the possibility of reducing the number of federal immigration personnel in the Minneapolis area, but he has tied any drawdown to cooperation and operational changes, according to AP. Walz, in his Friday post, argued that words from federal officials have not been matched by concrete steps.
The backlash has also widened beyond Minnesota. On the same day as the strike actions, former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were arrested on federal charges tied to their coverage of a Jan. 18 protest at a St. Paul church, according to the indictment published by PBS NewsHour.
Don Lemon was released from custody after being criminally charged in connection with his coverage of a church protest in Minneapolis. After his release, Lemon made it clear the arrest will not stop him from reporting.
Lemon and Fort have said they were acting as journalists. Press freedom advocates and some elected officials criticized the arrests, while prosecutors have argued that the case involves alleged civil rights violations connected to the church disruption, AP reported.
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