Mayor Frey Addresses Latino Radio Audience in Polished Video: ‘You’re Brave and You’re Tough’

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has reaffirmed his support for immigrant communities in a video released on social media, promising sanctuary-style protections and criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city.

In the professionally produced video shared Wednesday, Frey participated in an interview with La Raza, a local Latino radio station, where he emphasized that Minneapolis police do not engage in immigration enforcement activities.

“Let me tell you very clearly: I am proud to have you in our city, to call you my neighbor, to call you my family,” Frey told La Raza listeners. “We don’t back down when it comes to helping our family. You all make our city a better place.”

The mayor specifically addressed public safety concerns within immigrant communities, assuring residents they should feel comfortable calling 911 without fear of immigration consequences. “The Minneapolis Police Department does not do immigration enforcement work,” Frey stated. “Their job is to keep people safe.”

Throughout the emotional interview, Frey displayed physical gestures of solidarity, including hugging a man seated beside him and holding his hand. The mayor briefly spoke in Spanish before appearing to use translation assistance from his phone to continue the conversation.

On social media, Frey accompanied the video with a written message criticizing federal immigration enforcement. “We talked honestly about the real harm federal immigration agents are causing in our neighborhoods — spreading fear and hurting families. That’s not who we are, and I’ll keep standing with our community,” he wrote.

The timing of Frey’s outreach to the Latino community comes amid significant political tension. Just a day earlier, federal prosecutors announced an investigation into allegations that Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz impeded law enforcement efforts in the state.

In response to the federal probe, Frey accused the government of politically motivated intimidation. “When the federal gov weaponizes its power to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned,” he posted on X. “We shouldn’t live in a country where federal law enforcement is used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with.”

The mayor’s stance reflects ongoing national debates over immigration policy and local jurisdiction relationships with federal enforcement agencies. Minneapolis, like many urban centers across the country, has adopted policies limiting cooperation with ICE operations, particularly regarding non-criminal immigrants.

Critics, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, have publicly condemned Frey and Walz for allegedly ignoring ICE detainers for undocumented immigrants with criminal records. This criticism has intensified political divisions over immigration enforcement in the Upper Midwest.

Minneapolis has experienced notable tensions around immigration enforcement in recent years, with community activists organizing protests against ICE operations and advocating for stronger sanctuary-style protections.

The city’s approach to immigration represents a broader national trend among progressive-led municipalities that have implemented policies to shield undocumented residents from deportation, especially those without criminal records. These policies typically prevent local law enforcement from asking about immigration status or honoring ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant.

For Minneapolis’s Latino community, estimated to represent over 10% of the city’s population, Frey’s public stance provides reassurance during a period of heightened immigration enforcement nationwide.

“In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid,” Frey concluded in his statement. “We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”