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White House accuses Walz of undermining law enforcement, blocking ICE cooperation
By Stephen Sorace
Published January 25, 2026
The Trump administration is sharply criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accusing him of undermining law enforcement and blocking cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took aim at Walz in a social media post, writing that the governor has failed to cooperate with federal agencies, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), during large-scale enforcement operations.
"Tim Walz does NOT believe in law and order," Leavitt’s post read. "No amount of propaganda from his allies in the liberal media will convince the American people otherwise."
Walz has sharply rebuked the federal presence following several controversial shootings involving immigration agents, including the death of Minneapolis resident Renée Good in early January and again on Sunday a day after another fatal shooting that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
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"Minnesota believes in law and order," Walz wrote in a post on X earlier Sunday. "We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street."
Leavitt claimed the governor has refused to allow law enforcement to work with ICE to arrest and remove what she described as "dangerous criminal illegal aliens."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
According to Leavitt, since President Donald Trump took office, Walz has released "nearly 500 criminal illegal aliens back onto Minnesota’s streets" rather than transferring them to federal custody.
She further accused Walz of spreading "malicious lies" about federal law enforcement officers, saying his rhetoric has put officers in danger while they carry out immigration enforcement operations.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not be seeking reelection on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Leavitt said Walz has encouraged "left-wing agitators to stalk and record federal officers," leading to officers being "doxxed, targeted, impeded, and placed in extremely dangerous situations."
She also pointed to Walz’s handling of civil unrest in 2020, writing, "Don’t forget, this is the same Tim Walz who allowed rioters to burn Minneapolis in the summer of 2020" following the murder of George Floyd.
She further accused Walz of overseeing "massive fraud schemes" in Minnesota that she said resulted in "tens of billions of dollars in stolen American taxpayer funds."
A Border Patrol member pepper sprays observers after getting into a car accident on Blaisdell Avenue on Jan. 21, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Leavitt said Trump "will never back down" from his pledge to deport violent criminal illegal aliens, a promise she said nearly 80 million Americans supported over what she called the "Open Borders Agenda of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."
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She urged Walz to change course and cooperate with federal authorities.
"Governor Walz should do the right thing by Minnesotans and work WITH, rather than AGAINST, federal law enforcement," Leavitt wrote, pointing to states like Florida and Texas and cities like Washington, D.C., as examples where cooperation has led to "peace and safety."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-accuses-walz-undermining-law-enforcement-blocking-ice-cooperation