Mayor Jacob Frey - 435,000 Residents Pushed ICE Out of Minneapolis | The Daily Show

What this episode is about

Mayor Jacob Frey discusses the withdrawal of ICE agents from Minneapolis, attributing this development to the collective efforts of the city's 435,000 residents who have engaged in peaceful protests and community support. While expressing cautious optimism about the situation, he emphasizes the need for accountability and transparency from the federal government regarding ICE's future presence in the city.

Key takeaways

• The Minneapolis protests showed that civic courage can make even federal agents reconsider their tactics.
• When a mayor doubts federal promises, it reflects deep distrust—an unfortunate trend in American governance.
• ICE’s actions in Minneapolis weren't about law, but about creating a 'chaos narrative' for political leverage.
• In defending one neighborhood, Minneapolis residents became unlikely heroes of civil rights for all American cities.
• For every bold stance like opposing ICE, there's a vivid reminder: trust in government is a fragile thing.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jacob Fry (Guest) · 14 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Minneapolis, ICE, Donald Trump, Tom Hman
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Minneapolis, ICE, Tom Hman, United States Constitution
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Minneapolis, Donald Trump, United States Constitution
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Minneapolis
5. 12:00 – 15:00: Minneapolis
6. 15:00 – 16:56: Minneapolis, Mall of America

Notable quotes from "Mayor Jacob Frey - 435,000 Residents Pushed ICE Out of Minneapolis | The Daily Show"

• Let's start with what happened this morning. Borders are Tom Hman said that he is withdrawing ICE agents from Minneapolis.

  about Tom Hman · at 0:06

• Images of ICE agents changing tactics and not leaving. Do you have any sense of what is happening right now on the ground?

  about ICE · at 1:55

• Of discriminatory actions that have takes that have taken place are not just in violation of local law, but they violate the United States Constitution.

  about United States Constitution · at 3:02

• I'm curious. I look at what's happening in Minneapolis and the activists in Minneapolis have taken on a lot of responsibilities. And you spoke to what is happening. People are.

  about Minneapolis · at 6:47

• That is the message. Let me tell you, you can truly you can show you're an American by coming to the Mall of America, right? Get your ass there. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry.

  about Mall of America · at 16:29

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Tom Hman — Person · Referenced federal official / spokesperson for the operation (as described) · 2 mentions · first at 0:07
  Cited as stating ICE agents are being withdrawn and that 'Operation Metro Surge' is over; the guest disputes/qualifies these claims and discusses whether the city made any concessions.
• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure / administration being discussed · 3 mentions · first at 0:18
  Presented as the head of the federal administration that allegedly directed or influenced the ICE operation; the guest questions whether the administration can be trusted and frames it as creating 'chaos.'
  I think there's still a lot of questions, right, about whether or not you can trust the Trump administration to follow up on its word. Do you have any knowledge right now of ICE agents being removed? I know there were 700.

Companies & orgs

• ICE — Company · Key actor · 3 mentions · first at 0:10
  Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is central to the discussion, with its operations and withdrawal being a major topic.

Concepts & topics

• United States Constitution — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at 3:06
  Cited as the legal foundation against the actions of ICE and the federal government in Minneapolis.

Places & events

• Minneapolis — Place · Setting · 18 mentions · first at 0:12
  Primary location where the events discussed in the episode are taking place, including protests and federal agent activities.
• Mall of America — Place · Referenced location · 1 mention · first at 16:36
  Mentioned as a landmark in Minneapolis, suggesting it as a place to visit to support the city.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Mayor Fry, thank you for being here today. It It's a big day. It's a huge day. Yeah,

0:05 it's a huge day. Let's start with what happened this morning. Borders are Tom Hman said that he is withdrawing ICE agents from Minneapolis.

0:18 He says he has talked to Donald Trump and that Operation Metro Surge is over. Do you do you call on that? Is that really happening? Uh where we at with it? I will believe it when I see it. Uh, and if you're looking for anybody to give credit to for the end of Operation Metro Surge, for the pressure that was put on the federal government, for these incredible patriotic acts that have taken place over the last month and a half, give it to the 435,000 Minneapolis residents that have stood up.

1:13 I mean, they are truly an inspiration. They have been protesting peacefully by the tens of thousands. They've been dropping off food for people that are otherwise scared to go outside and leave their homes. They're watching guard on a daycare. I mean, they are the defenders of this great republic in this moment. I mean, they are everything that it means to be

1:35 I mean, it is it has been remarkable to see what the protesters have been doing in Minneapolis.

1:39 I think there's still a lot of questions, right, about whether or not you can trust the Trump administration to follow up on its word. Do you have any knowledge right now of ICE agents being removed? Uh, I know there were 700 that were promised to be removed a few weeks ago. Like, I'm seeing things online, at least I was this past week. images of ICE agents changing tactics and not leaving. Do you have any sense of what is happening right now on the ground?

2:02 Both my hope and my my expectation is that this operation will be drawn down in the very near future. And by the very near future, I mean in the next week or so. Uh and simultaneously, like I said, we'll believe it when I see it. Um uh we have seen a variety of unconstitutional acts that have taken place on the streets of Minneapolis. the kinds of things that have happened. Never in a million years would I think that a federal government would be invading a great American city. And so it is my expectation that it will be drawn down.

2:34 It is my hope that it will end. And here's the thing, it's not good enough for it to end in Minneapolis and then go to terrorize some other great American city.

2:46 What do you What do you What do you do? What do you do if if a week from now there's still 2,000 ICE agents in Minneapolis?

2:54 Well, look, we do everything that we can do under the law. We are preemptively suing. We have recognized that the kind of discriminatory actions that have takes that have taken place are not just in violation of local law, but they violate the United States Constitution. Um, I am expecting I am hopeful again that in this next week, it'll not just be drawn down. the Operation Metro Surge will end and we'll be back to the numbers that we saw before. And by the way, like ICE has been in Minneapolis. ICE has been throughout the country for like decades now. We're not talking about ICE doing normal ICE stuff.

3:31 What we saw was these roaming gangs, walking down the street, terrorizing people, uh detaining them exclusively based on the fact that they looked like they're Somali or Latino. and then indiscriminate pickups thereafter. You can't do that in America.

3:51 That happens in other countries. But when it happens here, it shouldn't be a Democrat issue or a Republican issue. It should be hang on a second. This is not how we conduct ourselves in this nation. We got to stand UP and our neighbors are. I'm curious. A lot of cities are looking at Minneapolis to see what happens if this lands in their city next. What happened to America? Uh both from a protest standpoint, but also from a governmental standpoint. Tom Hman called this a success. I'm curious what conversations you had with Homeman. What concessions you had to make? Like what was given up for Tom Hman to feel this was a success?

4:36 Well, first off, we did not capitulate. We did not back down. Uh clearly look this was not about safety from the very beginning. This was not about immigration. This was about creating a political narrative about a democratic city in a democratic state. Uh and trying to show that these are places of chaos. Uh but what we showed is that we're not going to back down. We're not going to get bullied. Um what we showed is that we're going to stand up for our neighbors. And you know here's

5:06 Is that what Homeman is responding to? I can't speak. Do you feel like he felt that uh uh was the police force did you allow the police force to get into the the the the prison system and like was did he feel that that he was he was being met with care with the police force there? I know there's been a lot of criticism with the protesters in Minneapolis about the use of police and whether or not they're helping ICE uh with the the protesters that are there. Like how do you look back on what happened and do you feel like they're starting to craft a different narrative about what actually happened on the ground?

5:37 Well, I'll tell you what has been happening on the ground, not just for the last like month and a half, but for the last several years,

5:44 we do work with the federal government when it comes to keeping people safe. Uh we work with the DEA and the FBI and the ATF and the US attorney's office to successfully drive down crime and yes, arrest criminals. You know, I'll take a position that I think is one of the easiest positions I've ever taken before, which is in Minneapolis, we're anti-murder and we're anti- rape. I you know strength you know I mean

6:08 bold bold position bold positions very bold and if this were about that yeah we do work with the federal government we work with any administration that is about keeping people safe but here's the thing it's not based on where someone is from the important piece here if you commit a murder or if you do something bad in the United States you're held accountable as an individual You do not hold an entire community accountable. You do not hold an entire city accountable for the actions of a few. I'm curious. I I look at what's happening in Minneapolis and and the the activists in Minneapolis have taken on a lot of responsibilities. And you you spoke to what is happening. People are staying home because they're afraid of ICE agents out there. And so other families are getting food to people who are in their homes. people who can't go to work. Uh there's an organization to let people know when and ICE is in

7:08 certain neighborhoods. And then you have you have progressive activists who are trying to stop ICE. And then you have a a progressive uh mayor who is a practical progressive I know you call yourself, right? A pragmatist, if you will. But what is the role? How do you balance a uh progressive pragmatist mayor who who wants to push back against ICE and activists who are doing so much? Is there a way you can help them more? How do you walk that line?

7:35 You do the right thing. I mean, I have long said that we've got to be loving our cities. We've got to be loving our country more than our ideology. Uh, and when it comes to loving our neighbors, that's an area where you just don't back down and you don't compromise. Um, we have said very clearly, you should be peacefully protesting. To those that are out there in the public square videotaping what's happening, well, that's a public service. That's patriotic in it of itself because you're adding sunshine as a disinfectant.

8:08 I mean I mean imagine if we didn't have visual footage of what took place during the killing of Alex Prey. We'd be running with this garbage narrative that has no basis in fact or law. we would, I don't know, maybe be believing what this administration was saying and we would all be living a lie. And so, God bless the people that are out there videotaping. That's their constitutional right to do so. By the way, it's in public.

8:40 You know, it's called in public for a reason. Uh, God bless the people that are out there delivering food, those that are peacefully protesting. And what we've said, and you asked about the balance, it's quite simply this, is don't take the bait. You know, we're not going to counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos in Minneapolis. We're going to stand up for what's right. We're going to stand up for our neighbors. And yeah, we also abide by the law. Let that be a juxiposition uh against what they're doing at the federal government.

9:09 How do you do so? That's I think you are articulating you're articulating counsel for the activists. Uh but are there are there things that you can do as a mayor? Can you can you can you stop eviction evictions from happening? Can you freeze rents? And I know that sometimes happens at the state level and maybe that's more so using your weight to get uh Governor Walls to enact that type of change. Like is there more that you can do? Is there more you're considering doing to help these protesters who are taking on these these jungle?

9:41 Uh the answer is yes. Uh first we are preemptively and responsively suing. We have an entire legal department that is set up to make sure that they're protecting the rights not just of our city enterprise but of Minneapolis residents. Uh second, we've got a whole emergency management function. Third, we just approved uh rental assistance that is targeted towards the people that hopefully need it most. Uh and I got to say like for an administration that talks about caring so deeply about the economy, this has been devastating for the economy. uh businesses have lost money. The people who work at those businesses aren't able to pay the rent. And so we need to be doing everything possible to help them out to get them rental support. We've got our community service officers that are out there delivering groceries and food to people that need it most. Um, we're making sure that our police officers themselves uh have their body

10:37 cameras on and activated so to the extent that they witness something that is against the law, we can then use that evidence in court. These are just a few things that we're working on right now. Uh, and the reality is is that when you've got a federal government that is coming in with 3 to 4,000 federal agents and you've got only 600 police officers, yeah, there's a differential there. But what American cities can show right now is that we do not act like the federal government does. Uh we stand up for our constituents and we're going to do right by them.

11:12 Now you're you also you met you met today with here in New York with our mayor, mom Donnie. I did.

11:22 Yeah. I I'm curious. What is that exchange of ideas? Uh what what what is that meeting look like? Are you trying to figure out how you get that mom Donnie Riz that uh

11:35 it's never going to happen. Yeah. Yeah. What what what what stories are you guys swapping? And more specifically, I'm I'm sure some of that has to do with what is happening in Minneapolis and what a mayor of a town like New York can do to prepare for something like that.

11:48 Yeah. Uh well, first we we talked about Queens. It's where most of my family is from. From Fresh Meadows.

11:56 Um, we talked about bagels. You talked about that and bagels. There might be more important things going on right now, Mayor.

12:02 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's great. We got And we got to that, too. I mean, I think

12:06 How are How are those Minneapolis bagels, by the way? Well, yeah, we got some Actually, we've got some great bagel spots in Minneapolis, believe it or not. Yeah, we're we're coming into our own in a really beautiful way. The water everybody's talking in both Minneapolis and in New York City.

12:19 That's right. Uh um yeah, step aside New York City. Um you know, we also talked about the fact that this is not a a time to like bow your head in despair. Um you're not going to avoid this kind of invasion by not speaking up and not speaking out. I've heard from both elected officials. I've heard from CEOs that well, we don't want to attract any attention. Well, here's the thing. We should all be paying attention to what's going on right now. We should all be speaking out by not saying something. By not saying something, you're going to subject the next city and the next one after that to being subjected to this kind of unconstitutional action. I think what's clear is they're trying to enact a national agenda based on coercion of local policies and principles. Um trying to get us to abandon our separation ordinance uh which says very clearly that we do not enforce federal immigration law.

13:30 Um and you know these are principles that are really kind of obvious if you think about it. We as mayors, we operate in the reality business. And whether you're mayor Mandani or even Mayor Rudy Giuliani, even he recognized the important

13:47 big fans here, by the way. I know it. I know it. Even he though recognized the importance of having a separation ordinance. Why? Because he wanted everybody to feel comfortable calling 911 when they were witnessing a crime. He didn't want people living a life as a vigilante. Uh he wanted people to call 911 without the fear that they would get deported based on their documentation status. That that's not even a moral issue there. That's just smart policy to achieve safety in a city.

14:20 Now, we will see what happens here, whether or not we can trust what happens with the Trump administration, what happens with the ICE agents there. But as you look at a town like Minneapolis, what what can you tell people? How do they support not only the protesters but the people of Minneapolis?

14:35 Yeah. Uh I'm sure there's a whole lot of people throughout the country right now that are inspired by activists and hockey moms, by local shopkeepers and fathers that are all standing up and saying, "You know what? We love our greater and collective family. They're inspired by these people from Minneapolis." One of the best things that you can do for Minneapolis right now is come to Minneapolis. Wait, in February,

15:05 I'm telling you, we embrace winter. It is stunningly beautiful. We, by the way, are recognized as the happiest city in the entire country.

15:16 Is that right? I don't know what criteria they use to arrive at that conclusion, but we are the happiest.

15:21 I've seen that state fair. It's It might be the access to gluttony that's there. You can eat whatever you want.

15:26 All of it. Um, no, I'm not from there. I'm from the east coast and I ran the Twin Cities Marathon. I fell in love with this beautiful city in a park. Best park system in the country, by the way.

15:36 Uh, you got to go to one in the center of this city. It's pretty good, too. I' I've heard about it. Yeah. What is it called? Middle Park.

15:43 Yeah, Middle Park. You should check it. I Yeah, I'll drop a pin for you, you know. Um, but but come come check it out. Go visit our Somali malls. Uh, go check out these incredible Latino businesses that we have. I mean, these are places that deserve our support right now. The, you know, I I don't want to undermine the fact that this has been catastrophic to small and local businesses throughout our city that we're on a massive comeback. Crime was dramatically down, business substantially up, Minneapolis on a great comeback. to do your duty as a great American. Come to our city. Help us out right now and show this administration that when you come for one of us, you come for all of us. We stick together.

16:27 There you go. That is the message. Let me tell you, you can truly you can show you're an American by coming to the Mall of America, right? Get your ass there. Uh Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Mayor Jacob Frey - 435,000 Residents Pushed ICE Out of Minneapolis | The Daily Show"?

Jacob Fry (Guest).

What is "Mayor Jacob Frey - 435,000 Residents Pushed ICE Out of Minneapolis | The Daily Show" about?

Mayor Jacob Frey discusses the withdrawal of ICE agents from Minneapolis, attributing this development to the collective efforts of the city's 435,000 residents who have engaged in peaceful protests and community support. While expressing cautious optimism about the situation, he emphasizes the need for accountability and transparency from the federal government regarding ICE's future presence…

What is mentioned in this The Daily Show episode?

6 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Minneapolis, ICE, Tom Hman, Donald Trump, United States Constitution, Mall of America. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Mayor Jacob Frey - 435,000 Residents Pushed ICE Out of Minneapolis | The Daily Show"?

The episode runs 17 min; the transcript is about 2,954 words in 43 timestamped sections.

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