STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Minnesota protesters spent a cold weekend on the streets confronting immigration agents, and President Trump's administration spent the weekend heating up the pressure.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Up to 1,500 active-duty troops are on standby for possible deployment there. A U.S. official tells our colleague Tom Bowman that the troops are from the 11th Airborne Division. They're based in Alaska and trained to operate in cold weather. The president has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to justify sending troops to perform tasks typically performed by law enforcement. In a few minutes, we'll ask Minnesota's top legal authority, Attorney General Keith Ellison, about all this. But first, let's get the latest information.
INSKEEP: Minnesota Public Radio's Clay Masters is here. Clay, good morning.
CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: What else did the administration do?
MASTERS: We learned that the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Both Walz and Frey have been loud opponents of ICE's increased presence in the state, especially the tactics in Minneapolis, since the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Walz, who announced a couple weeks ago he was dropping his bid for reelection, said weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is an authoritarian tactic. And here's Mayor Jacob Frey on CBS' "Face The Nation" yesterday.
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JACOB FREY: We are doing everything possible to keep the peace, notwithstanding this occupying force that has quite literally invaded our city.
MASTERS: And President Trump has said he might use the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. He refined that threat a bit on Friday when asked by reporters about it. He said he would use it if he needed it, but he didn't see any reason right now to use it.
INSKEEP: OK. Given that, where do these 1,500 troops fit in?
MASTERS: Well, I mean, we should be clear that the troops are on standby. And this comes as Governor Walz has directed the Minnesota National Guard to prepare for possible deployment to assist local law enforcement and emergency management agencies. It really remains to be seen what that would look like, to have two units potentially receiving conflicting orders.
INSKEEP: OK, so we'll keep watching that. Hasn't happened yet. But where do things stand with the shooting of Renee Macklin Good?
MASTERS: Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Fox News Sunday that the Justice Department investigates when it's appropriate to do so, but that's not the case here, he said. When an ICE agent fatally shot Macklin Good on January 7, the DOJ blocked Minnesota from accessing evidence and witnesses. So the state has their own investigation going on. You might remember, too, that six federal prosecutors in the state resigned last week over the DOJ's push to investigate Macklin Good's widow. And I also want to note there was a ruling issued late Friday by a federal judge that prohibits agents from retaliating against people who engage in peaceful, unobtrusive protest activity.
INSKEEP: OK. So federal agents are finding more and more people to investigate - just not the agents who shot Renee Macklin Good three times. I know Democrats are unhappy about that, but what power do they have?
MASTERS: I mean, aside from public denouncements about the presence of more than 2,000 federal immigration agents in the state, there's not a lot they can do. Attorney General Keith Ellison and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued, calling it an unconstitutional federal invasion violating the First and 10th Amendments. Governor Walz has asked Minnesotans to continue to peacefully document how ICE agents are interacting with the public, and on Fox News Sunday, Blanche pushed back.
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TODD BLANCHE: You saw the governor and the mayor actively encouraging criminals to go out on the street and impede ICE. That is not allowed under our law.
MASTERS: And, I mean, there are legal channels they're pursuing in federal courts. But as far as political options, it's still, you know, months until the midterm elections in November.
INSKEEP: Minnesota Public Radio's Clay Masters. Thanks so much.
MASTERS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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