Kristi Noem says Gov Walz rejected DHS help amid Minneapolis protests
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she rejected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s offer of assistance in Minneapolis because federal agents continue to operate in the city amid protests.
Tensions remained high in Minneapolis following a fatal officer-involved shooting on Jan. 7 and another nonfatal incident on Wednesday.
Noem argued that the media was “aiding” Democrats and misrepresenting the situation on the ground.
“Governor Tim Walz has my phone number. I called him and talked to him and said, ‘Listen, you let your city burn in 2020. Don’t do that again,'” Noem said on “America’s Newsroom” Thursday.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participated in a roundtable discussion with local farmers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection workers in Brownsville, Texas, on Jan. 7.
“You’re seeing a lot of reporting that this is another ICE shooting. They didn’t report anything about the guns or the fact that these people came out of the house and beat him brutally with a shovel and he had to defend his own life,” Noem said of the non-fatal shooting.
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Noem blamed the rhetoric of Democratic leaders, including Walz, for escalating the violence. He called his anti-ICE messaging “extremely reckless” and noted that he had spoken to Walz a few days earlier and offered support for the Department of Homeland Security.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in St. Paul announced at a press conference at the State Capitol in Minnesota that he would not seek reelection. (Minnesota Star Tribune via Jerry Holt/Getty Images)
“I said, ‘Sir, listen, Tim, you know, it’s about the situation, what’s going on.’ We’re enforcing federal law. If you don’t like the laws, go change them, but don’t do it by giving space to these protesters and rioters who are perpetuating the violence,” Noem said.
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“I said, ‘You have my personal cell phone. Call me. Call me if you need me. We’ll be there to support you, but protect your city, protect your state,'” he added.
Protesters clashed with law enforcement outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Minneapolis on January 8. (Mustafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Noem said Walz responded by stating that they had different views on the situation in Minnesota.
Walz and other Democratic officials have criticized DHS’s immigration enforcement operations in the state. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has repeatedly criticized ICE’s presence in the city, arguing that it contributes to what he describes as “chaos” across the state.
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s press office for a statement but did not receive a response by press time.
