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President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Congress to pass legislation eliminating so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies, escalating a political showdown as outrage grows over the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal immigration agents.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was “calling on the United States Congress to immediately pass Legislation to END Sanctuary Cities,” urging Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democratic leaders to cooperate with his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The president’s comments came one day after federal agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, during a confrontation tied to immigration enforcement operations. The killing has intensified criticism of the administration’s deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minnesota and renewed Democratic demands for the operation to be scaled back or halted entirely.
Pretti’s death marked the second fatal shooting involving a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis this month, following the killing of Renee Nicole Good earlier in January. Both incidents were captured on cellphone videos that circulated rapidly online, deepening public scrutiny of the federal operation.
Walz has described the surge of immigration agents into Minnesota as an “occupation,” arguing that it has created chaos and undermined public safety. Frey has echoed those concerns, repeatedly calling for the administration to withdraw federal personnel from the city.
Minnesota officials say tensions have escalated since Immigration and Customs Enforcement began what the administration calls “Operation Metro Surge,” which has sent an estimated 3,000 federal agents into the state — far outnumbering local law enforcement.
Trump’s demands and legal posture
In his post Sunday evening, Trump accused Democratic leaders of “resist[ing] and stoking the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence,” and demanded they turn over unauthorized immigrants with active warrants or criminal histories to federal authorities for deportation.
He also called on state and local officials to assist federal agents in the administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown, rather than limit cooperation under local sanctuary policies.
Trump’s call follows warnings earlier this month that “THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!” for Democratic officials who oppose his immigration agenda. Walz has said he received a subpoena as part of a federal investigation involving Minnesota Democrats, though details of that probe remain unclear.
Local officials push back
City and state leaders have rejected the president’s characterization, saying Minnesota is complying with the law while refusing to deputize local police as immigration agents.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Sunday that city officers do not have the authority to turn detainees over to federal immigration authorities.
“It’s not on the Minneapolis Police Department or local law enforcement to hand folks over that are in jails,” O’Hara said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “We are complying with the law as we have been for many years.”
Minnesota is not formally designated a sanctuary state, though Minneapolis and several counties prohibit local employees from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
Republican support, Democratic resistance
Trump’s call was quickly embraced by Republican allies. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised the proposal and said he plans to introduce legislation this week to permanently eliminate sanctuary jurisdiction policies.
“I will champion a legislative effort to end sanctuary city policies forever,” Graham wrote on X, calling them “net losers for the country.”
Democrats, however, have doubled down on their opposition, arguing that the administration’s enforcement tactics are dangerous and unconstitutional. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that Democrats would block a must-pass government funding package if it includes additional money for the Department of Homeland Security without new restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The administration has already filed lawsuits against several Democratic-led states and cities over sanctuary policies and has threatened to suspend federal funding to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate.
The sanctuary cities debate has long divided Washington, but the recent violence in Minnesota has sharpened the stakes. Critics say the federal crackdown is inflaming tensions and placing civilians at risk, while the administration argues that local resistance has forced federal agents to act unilaterally.
While Minnesota has not enacted statewide sanctuary legislation, the Justice Department last year included it on a list of jurisdictions targeted by the administration.
In court filings Saturday night, attorneys for Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul urged a federal judge to curtail or block the Department of Homeland Security’s operation altogether.
Graham’s legislation is expected to be introduced in the coming days, though it faces steep odds in a closely divided Senate.
Meanwhile, investigations into Pretti’s killing continue, and Democratic officials say further legal action against the federal operation is likely. As Congress heads toward a potential government shutdown deadline, the fight over sanctuary policies and immigration enforcement is increasingly shaping the broader budget battle.
