Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed anger at the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration agent in Minneapolis Wednesday, and said he is readying the National Guard for potential activation.
Walz urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully so as to not invite further federal crackdowns in the state. He issued a warning order to the Minnesota National Guard to make sure troops are ready if needed, he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
“We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s sensationalized operations are a threat, that someone’s going to get hurt,” Walz said. “It’s governing by reality TV, and today that recklessness cost someone their life.”
Walz said the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the shooting. The BCA was on the scene at Portland Avenue near E. 34th Street with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) forensic teams.
“To Minnesotans, know that our administration is going to stop at nothing to seek accountability and justice,” Walz said.
Walz stressed the importance of peaceful protest, and said that Minnesotans can’t give Trump an excuse to escalate by sending in federal troops or declaring martial law. Trump’s administration increased immigration enforcement in Minnesota in early December, and escalated that by sending more agents early this week.
“They want a show, we can’t give it to them. We cannot. If you protest and express your first amendment rights, please do so peacefully as you always do,” Walz said. “We can’t give them what they want.”
Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson encouraged people to protest peacefully and to stay off of roadways.
“Unsafe or illegal actions could result in fines or arrests,” he said.
Walz said he reached out to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Wednesday, but hadn’t heard back. Noem, who was in Minnesota Tuesday filming herself participating in an ICE arrest in St. Paul, is expected to speak in Minnesota this evening.
“I have a simple message: We do not need any more help from the federal government. To Kristi Noem and Donald Trump, you’ve done enough,” Walz said.
Walz said he does not yet know the identity of the woman killed and has not spoken with her family, but that he plans to. He lamented that a passenger in the car had to witness a loved one being killed, and condemned the statement released by the Department of Homeland Security that referred to the victim as a domestic terrorist.
“It’s unprecedented that we have a federal government that’s already determined exactly what’s happened here and the motives of an individual that we don’t even know the name — they don’t know their name,” Walz said. “We’re not living in a normal world.”
He asked people across the country to stand with Minnesotans.
National Guard issued warning order
Walz, who served in the Minnesota National Guard for years, said that a warning order is simply informing troops that they could be called upon and double checking that all potential equipment is prepared. This weekend is a training weekend for the guard, Walz said, meaning about 7,500 guardsmen are expected to be at bases.
There are no current activations, according to General Simon Shaefer, commander of the Minnesota National Guard. The guard is in communication with state and local law enforcement, he said.
If the guard is deployed, the intent would be to keep residents safe, Walz said, not discourage protest.
“I am not telling you not to express your anger,” he said.
