00:00Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here tonight. I want to start out by addressing the loss of life that we saw here in Minneapolis today.
00:08Any loss of life is a tragedy, and I think all of us can agree that in this situation it was preventable.
00:15I've spoken to the President today on the situation here on the ground. I also just got off the phone a little mile ago with Governor Walz and spoke to him as well.
00:22I want to reiterate first with all of you the facts of what happened today.
00:27At 10.25 a.m. Central Time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement were carrying out lawful operations here in Minneapolis.
00:35Because of the adverse weather that Minneapolis has seen in recent snow, one of the vehicles became stuck and ensnared in the snow.
00:41Law enforcement were attempting to push out this vehicle, and when a mob of agitators that were harassing them all day began blocking them in, shouting at them, and impeding law enforcement operations.
00:53ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the individual in question, who was blocking the officers in with her vehicle, and she had been stalking and impeding their work all throughout the day.
01:05ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands.
01:13She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle, and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over.
01:21This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism.
01:29The ICE officer, fearing for his life and the other officers around him, and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.
01:36He used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues.
01:39He was treated at a local hospital, has been released, and is now with family.
01:44I encourage the American people at this point in time to pray for him, but also to pray for the deceased's family and her loved ones.
01:52Today alone in this country, there have been four different domestic terrorist attacks on federal officers by the ramming of vehicles.
02:00Three of them happened here in Minneapolis.
02:02We've seen over 100 of these vehicle ramings happen in just recent weeks, and this must stop.
02:10ICE alone is facing a 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against all of them.
02:19In fact, the very same officer who was attacked today had previously been dragged by an anti-ICE rioter who had rammed him with a car and drug him back in June.
02:29He sustained injuries at that time as well.
02:32And let me remind you why we're all here in this city today and why we've been here.
02:37In communities across this country and here in Minneapolis, we're just enforcing the laws that we have in this country.
02:44For years under President Biden, tens of millions of dangerous criminal illegal aliens, terrorists, and suspected terrorists were allowed to invade our country over our southern border.
02:54They were allowed to steal, to defraud, and to perpetuate violence against American citizens.
03:00Regardless of who your mayor or who your governor is, President Trump promised every single American that he would make America safe again.
03:09He promised every single American that he would work to protect them from dangerous criminals.
03:15Since Governor Walz has been in charge of Minnesota, we have seen homicides go up by over 50 percent.
03:20That's also during Mayor Fry's tenure as well.
03:24Since President Trump took office, Governor Walz has released over 470 violent criminals back onto the streets here in Minneapolis.
03:33He has another 680 of them still within his jurisdiction that he could give to us today to face the consequences for their crimes.
03:41Because Governor Walz and Mayor Fry refused to protect Minnesotans and instead they protect these criminals, that's why we are here.
03:50And we didn't just show up yesterday, we've always been here.
03:53But we're surging operations because of the dangerous situation we see in this country and because we're no longer going to allow illegal criminals to damage and harm, to kill, to sexually abuse, to proliferate drugs, and to steal American taxpayers' dollars.
04:08This state has faced unprecedented immigration fraud.
04:14It's seen unprecedented benefit fraud.
04:17Individuals were allowed to come into this country and set up fake companies and fake nonprofits and divert billions of dollars away from American citizens and those vulnerable citizens who truly needed the services from those programs.
04:30This city has burned before.
04:33And your mayor and your governor let it happen.
04:36President Trump is not going to let that happen.
04:37He and our federal law enforcement officers are here to bring peace and to bring public safety and to ensure that criminal activity is stopped and that people who perpetuate it will face consequences.
04:50Since we have been here in recent weeks, we have arrested over 1,500 criminals off of the streets.
04:58Our law enforcement has arrested murderers, known and suspected terrorists, child pedophiles, and other brutal criminals that were protected here in this city.
05:07We should all work together to protect our citizens.
05:11We should all protect the men and the women and the families who live here in Minneapolis, who live in Minnesota, and live throughout this entire country.
05:19I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank you for focusing on the important work that our federal officers do and make sure that we're focused on the priorities of this country, and that's making sure that we're keeping people safe.
05:31With that, I'll take any questions that you may have.
05:33Secretary, now, Mayor Fry called the claims to self-defense BS.
05:38How do you respond to that?
05:39I say that he doesn't know what he's talking about.
05:41It's very clear that this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations.
05:47Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he's been taught to do in that situation, and took actions to defend himself and defend his fellow law enforcement officers.
05:57Secretary, can you expand, too, on the agent's injuries? The president said that he took you to be alive.
06:02The officer was hit by the vehicle. She hit him. He went to the hospital. A doctor did treat him. He has been released, but he's going to spend some time with his family.
06:12Can you clarify what he said before, after the election?
06:14I can't, but the FBI will continue the investigation and release more facts when it's appropriate.
06:20Secretary, now, have the agents going to review the investigation, or can you give us another investigation?
06:24No, we're following the standard protocol procedures we do in situations like this.
06:29When there's an officer-involved shooting, we make sure that we get the facts and that we are getting the statements from everybody involved
06:36and make sure that investigators are handling the decisions.
06:40Secretary, now, have ICE operations paused because of what happened today?
06:44No, we're still out on the streets doing our work to get dangerous criminals off of the streets of Minneapolis.
06:49Can you give us any insight into your conversation with the governor?
06:52You know, Tim and I have known each other for years. We served in Congress together.
06:55We both ran for governor the same year and have served as governor at the same times.
07:01So we were colleagues, and we discussed what happened here today.
07:06We have two very different viewpoints of it.
07:09I talked specifically about the fact that we have laws. They need to be enforced.
07:13He knows that I believe sanctuary policies have protected criminals and placed a priority of them over the citizens that live here,
07:22and he knows we'll continue to do our work, and I encouraged him to work with us.
07:25We've never had a cooperative arrangement with law enforcement here.
07:29Whenever we've done investigations, whenever we've done police work, when we've been doing what we can to bring people to justice for the crimes that they commit,
07:37we haven't had the cooperation of the state of Minnesota or the city police here under the mayor's direction.
07:44If you talk to any of these federal law enforcement officers, they'll say that when they call for backup in a situation that it's hit and miss.
07:50They were grateful today that the police chief and local law enforcement showed up at the scene and helped secure it to make sure that nobody was harmed
08:00and that the FBI could do their work.
08:02But I would encourage them to work with us, that we could form a partnership that would make sure that individuals have the opportunity to have a safe Minneapolis.
08:09You know, it's clearly established law that a vehicle driven by a person and used to harm someone is a deadly weapon.
08:26Deadly force is perfectly lawful when a threat is faced by a weapon.
08:31So I do believe that this officer used his training in this situation,
08:36and we'll let the FBI continue the investigation to get it resolved.
08:39I know you keep asking that, but that doesn't mean that the FBI is going to give you an answer today.
08:47There will be an investigation.
08:48We want to make sure that it's factual.
08:50What I would ask is that as we go forward from here today,
08:54that we all remember that our job is to have peaceful discussions.
08:59I'd encourage our local law enforcement and state law enforcement to work with us.
09:03We are going to continue to operate here in Minneapolis and in the state of Minnesota
09:06to make sure we're going after dangerous criminals.
09:09One of the key focuses that we've had here is a focus on individuals who are sexual predators
09:14and are involved in child exploitation.
09:16When I was just here yesterday, we arrested individuals who were charged with criminal assault and sexual assault
09:24and people that exploited children.
09:26Why would you want to keep them on your streets?
09:28President Trump has promised to go after the worst of the worst,
09:31and that's exactly what we're doing in Minneapolis.
09:33By not working with us, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are putting those criminals
09:38and prioritizing them over our children and our grandchildren.
09:41Governor Walz said that he is not being able to leave his job when there is one of them.
09:44That's simply not true.
09:45He said that to me on the phone, too, so I'll get him the documentation that he needs
09:50so that he knows that we would love to coordinate with him.
09:53He doesn't give us access to any information on criminals, let us know who he's detained,
09:58doesn't honor our detainers, and has individuals and criminals in his jurisdiction
10:02that he won't turn over us today to.
10:04Yes?
10:05I won't speak to that case right now, but we can get you the details
10:21and the information on that.
10:22But the fact of the matter is he's an experienced officer.
10:26He's been in situations like this before,
10:28and he certainly has been out there and followed his training today.
10:32Given the threat of vehicle commerce, are you going to change the way the place is?
10:37You know, people need to stop using their vehicles as weapons.
10:40Are you going to change the...
10:41This domestic act of terrorism to use your vehicle to try to kill law enforcement officers is going to stop,
10:46and I'm asking the Department of Justice to prosecute it as domestic terrorism
10:50because it's clear that it's being coordinated.
10:52People are being trained and told how to use their vehicles to impede law enforcement operations
10:56and then to run over anybody who gets in their way while they go out there and try to disrupt peace.
11:02And public safety, and Americans deserve better.
11:05That hasn't been a part of the discussion.
11:10I know Governor Walz mentioned some of that earlier in his press conference,
11:14but, you know, we've got law enforcement officers here that will continue to work,
11:18and we're hopeful that the public recognizes that the work that we do every day makes America safe again.
11:23Can you get anybody into the operation that was happening at the E-Force of Portland?
11:27We had law enforcement officers that were out there doing an enforcement action,
11:31and a vehicle got stuck in the snow, and so they had called for other people to come
11:36and help them get that vehicle out.
11:38Those officers were trying to free the vehicle when the harassment started,
11:42when the protesters were out there impeding their vehicles
11:46and preventing them from leaving the seat.
11:47Is it a particular home or business in that intersection?
11:50I won't speak to that.
11:51Were they on the target?
11:52That person may be committed.
11:54They were going after.
11:54Mm-mm.
11:55That should be sexual threatening.
11:56We'll body cam for the fear of this.
11:58Mm-hmm.
11:59I will let the FBI decide.
12:02Were they on the target today when they were in that neighborhood?
12:05They were returning back to headquarters, I believe,
12:08to start a new operation, had just completed one.
12:11Was it an ICE?
12:11Well, thank you.
12:12What's that?
12:13Was it an ICE?
12:13Was it an ICE?
12:13I was one of the vehicles that ICE officers were using.
12:17But remember, when we operate, we operate in a task force model.
12:20So we have other federal agencies that work with us,
12:22and we're very grateful for that.
12:24We have CBP officers, the FBI, DEA, ATF.
12:29All of those all work with us every day in a task force model,
12:33and we appreciate it.
12:33We'd love to have the state police,
12:35and we'd also love to have the Minneapolis police chief
12:38and his team be alongside of us while we're out there
12:41doing those enforcement operations.
12:42With that, we'll get you more information as it is revealed.
12:47But thank you, and everybody, let's work together
12:50to make sure that we can continue to help the city be safer,
12:53get more criminals off the streets,
12:55and ensure that our public has the opportunity
12:58to pursue the American dream in a city they can be proud of.
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