Former DHS chief decries Minneapolis mayor’s ‘unhinged’ ICE rhetoric after deadly shooting

Former Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf accused Minneapolis leaders of fueling chaos after a confrontation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escalated into violence, leaving a woman dead.

Tension flared in Minneapolis after an I.C.E. agent allegedly shot and killed a woman who authorities say attempted to run over federal officers with her vehicle during an enforcement operation.

“The mayor’s comments were probably some of the most unintelligible, unhinged comments I think I’ve heard in quite some time,” Wolf said Wednesday on “America Reports.”

Former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blamed I.C.E. for the death, telling the agency to “get the f— out” of the city.

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“They’re sowing chaos on our streets — and in this case, quite literally killing people,” Frey said.

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bulls—.”

Wolf pushed back on the mayor’s claims, arguing that anti-I.C.E. rhetoric has made conditions more dangerous. 

I.C.E. announced on Tuesday it would carry out what officials described as one of the agency’s largest enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

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The city’s sanctuary protections, such as limits on law enforcement cooperation with I.C.E., have drawn criticism from officials, and Wolf argued those policies helped create the conditions that led to the deadly confrontation.

“It’s because of these policies — it’s because of the mayor’s policies — that they’re having to comb the streets and look for these criminal illegal aliens,” Wolf said.

An onlooker holds a sign reading “SHAME” as law enforcement officers work the scene following a suspected shooting by an I.C.E. agent during federal operations in Minneapolis, Minn.

Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro echoed Wolf’s concerns, saying the confrontation could have been avoided if local authorities were allowed to cooperate with federal agents.

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Mauro also warned that Frey’s remarks would only further inflame tension in the city.

“He’s cursing, he’s playing the tough guy,” Mauro said.

A federal agent runs toward protesters allegedly trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis.  (Reuters/Tim Evans)

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“But then he calls for peace, so that nobody can ever say that he was in any way trying to stoke anger and cause problems.”