Sen. Klobuchar: ICE is making Minnesota 'less safe'
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Minnesota Democrats are continuing to speak out about the killing of 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week.
Now the state is anticipating a surge of Federal officers as part of an immigration enforcement operation. MPR News host Clay Masters spoke with Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar about it.
They spoke before Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Press play above to listen to their conversation, or read a transcript below, edited for clarity.
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Is there any action Congress can take to change ICE’s actions in Minnesota at this point?
Well, we have the power of the purse, Clay, and there will be requests for funding. And there is an ability there, because in the Senate you need to have some Democratic support to attach reforms, to attach requirements, and that is coming up.
I know that Sen. Chris Murphy is working on that. What people need to know, though, is that just this summer, with what was called “The Big, Beautiful Bill” that I did not support, nor did other members of the Democratic delegation in Congress, they tripled ICE’s budget.
It is now larger than the FBI or the DEA or any other federal law enforcement agencies — $75 billion they gave to ICE.
The number of actual police that we have, they are outnumbering them, and so that’s why this is just completely outrageous. And you know, it’s one thing to focus on a fraud investigation and work on that; it is another thing to put these people out on our streets. When the police chief has asked them specifically not to do this. They are not making us more safe. They're making us less safe.
Are any of your Republican peers supportive of what you’re talking about with the increase in cost of ICE?
Well, to be clear, that bill this summer, not every single one of them voted for it, but 51 Republicans voted for it, and they were able to get it over the edge. However, there have been senators like Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, who voted for it who's actually been out there and said something about this specific thing happening in Minnesota.
Over the weekend, I was outside of the Whipple building with Democratic U.S. representatives Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar and Kelly Morrison. They were briefly allowed access to the federal ICE detention center before being turned away. Have you put in a request to visit a Federal Immigration Detention Center since the Department of Homeland Security put in this seven-day notice standard?
First of all, I don’t believe that’s legal, and Sen. Smith and I are pushing this right now with the administration. Obviously, I will visit the center, but my focus right now is to get those members in, because this was not something that is allowed under the law. You can’t put those limits in.
Speculation is swirling around you possibly running for governor. I’m curious if the events of last week have complicated that decision?
No, I’m seriously considering it. I love my job in the Senate, but I also love my state, and I think what you see of Minnesotans through this incredible tragedy: They're resilient. They're the doctor trying to get to the scene of the horrific shooting but being denied. The police chief standing up and telling people the truth about what’s going on. We have this incredible state, and we have been through so much.
What do you say to those who claim Democrats are not doing enough?
Oh, I think far from it. I think you see the mayor and the governor standing up. I think you see the attorney general and others. And Senator Smith and I are still pushing the Justice Department to say, “You cannot break precedent and not share your investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.” You should be working together like you have done in every other major case with their seasoned professionals, and you have seen the attorney general of our state standing up in many, many ways, in terms of pushing back on this assault on our state.
