The Tamesis
On Friday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dropped off his two daughters, five-year-old Frida Jade and six-month-old Estelle Bloom, in the morning. “The most stressful part of my day is figuring out how to get this garbage into day care with two kids,” Frey, 44, told me by phone.
Going to work, however, brings a different kind of stress. Nearly six years after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Frey once again finds himself a local leader on the front lines of a national crisis. The mayor is confronting President Trump, who ground zero for Minneapolis’ immigration crackdown and launched ICE’s largest-ever operation: an estimated 3,000 masked agents raided homes and even schools, detaining residents (including children like five-year-old Liam Ramos, still wearing a Spider-Man backpack) and using deadly force to shoot Renee Goode and then Alex Pretty in the street.
War-torn Minneapolis and its mayor were unimpressed. Frey once ordered ICE to “fuck off.” Last week, more than 50,000 residents, including Frey in a hooded parka, took to the streets in sub-zero temperatures. Earlier this month, the city of Minneapolis sued the Trump administration in federal court, alleging that ICE’s onslaught was unconstitutional (a judge is expected to rule soon). A week later, the Justice Department subpoenaed Frey, Gov. Tim Walz and other local Democratic leaders who have criticized ICE into a federal investigation into unspecified crimes.
Frey said the White House had not responded to his request for a face-to-face meeting with the president, but Frey confirmed that he had “positive conversations” with Trump this week and had made some modest progress. “On the phone, he was very affable,” Frey told me, even “flattery at first” — although Trump later said Frey was “playing with fire” by claiming that Minneapolis police would not assist ICE and that they had no legal responsibility.
When I went to Minneapolis to brief Mayor Frey Fashion In late 2021, he told me that Floyd’s murder and its aftermath were “the moment that changed me forever.” He has a thicker skin and more experience in dealing with this latest crisis.
In a phone interview, Frey discussed his call with Trump, the anxiety of being the subject of a federal investigation, raising his daughter during turbulent times and what it means to be a patriot now.
Fashion: Loaded questions: How are you? Maybe it’s best to ask how you’re doing today.
Mayor Jacob Frey: Look, let’s move on. Personally, I am not a victim. Some people’s constitutional rights are being violated. Some families are falling apart. Some businesses have closed. There are people suffering on our streets and they are the ones who really deserve attention. Not to mention the tens of thousands of people in our cities who are peacefully protesting, delivering groceries to people who are afraid to leave their homes, and standing guard at daycares. On the one hand, I am inspired by this incredible city. At the same time, I was under investigation by the Department of Justice, which was weaponizing it against local leaders who simply disagreed.
Mayor, how is the investigation going? Have there been any new developments since you were summoned?
As with any legal case, you must meet deadlines. But unlike other cases, I never thought in a million years that I would be subject to a criminal investigation by the federal government simply for performing one of my core duties as mayor, which is to speak for my constituents and keep them safe. I know their claims are complete garbage and unconstitutional, and at the same time, yes, it is very disturbing to have the federal government come after you. In addition to being a mayor, I’m also a husband. [Frey is married to Sarah Clarke]. I’m a dad. I have a six month old – she’s one day away from being six months old. And then I had a five-year-old, and you met him. I just dropped them off at daycare. One of the most stressful parts of my day is figuring out how to get all this crap to daycare with two kids and making sure one of them doesn’t get hit by a car.
