SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Tensions remain high in Minneapolis. Neighbors are patrolling their streets for immigration enforcement activity as hundreds more federal agents have arrived there in recent days. And now the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf is in Minneapolis. Kat, thanks so much for being with us.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
SIMON: What's it like there?
LONSDORF: Well, it was relatively quiet here last night. It's really cold. It's in the single digits, and it's been snowing, so it's possible folks are hunkered down inside. But people are still really on edge. Just to give you a sense, Scott, driving around, you'll see people standing on the corners in neighborhoods wearing whistles, ready to blow them and alert their neighbors if ICE shows up. There's a lot of skepticism around unfamiliar cars in the areas, especially ones with out-of-state license plates. And many restaurants, if they're open, are keeping their doors locked, letting customers in as they come but keeping federal agents out. It's just a pretty tense environment.
SIMON: And all this occurs as federal immigration officers continue to arrive and make arrests, yes?
LONSDORF: Yeah. Exactly. There are some 2,500 federal immigration officers on the ground and more expected soon, according to DHS. That's more than four times the number of local Minneapolis police officers. And protests against that surge and the arrests are still happening, too, many of which have been met with aggression. We've seen ICE officers using tear gas, flash-bangs, pepper balls to disperse crowds. But late last night, a federal judge here issued a preliminary injunction restricting federal agents from retaliating against people, quote, "engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity."
SIMON: And President Trump has at least been talking about invoking the Insurrection Act...
LONSDORF: Yeah.
SIMON: ...Which has happened some 30 times in U.S. history.
LONSDORF: Yeah.
SIMON: Any indications this would be the latest?
LONSDORF: Well, it's really hard to say. The Insurrection Act is a 200-year-old law that, if invoked, would allow Trump to deploy the military to Minneapolis for law enforcement purposes, essentially. Many legal experts I've talked to in the past few days have told me that the situation here in Minneapolis right now just doesn't meet the criteria to justify that. Here's Joseph Nunn. He's an attorney at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
JOSEPH NUNN: I think if he does, it would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act, unlike anything that's ever happened before in the history of the country.
LONSDORF: And yesterday, Trump walked back his threat earlier this week to do so but also made it clear he's not taking it off the table.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: If I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it. But if I needed it, I'd use it.
LONSDORF: Trump has threatened invoking the Insurrection Act many times in recent months for various situations. So we've heard this kind of talk before. If he did, it would be a highly controversial move and most definitely challenged in court.
SIMON: And, of course, late last night, there was news that the Department of Justice is investigating Mayor Frey and Governor Walz. Of course, both are Democrats.
LONSDORF: Yeah.
SIMON: What's the latest?
LONSDORF: Well, we don't know much about the investigation. It centers on public statements the two made during recent ICE raids here. Frey and Walz both responded to the news in separate social media posts. Walz wrote, quote, "weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic." He urged calm. And one last thing, Scott, there is an anti-immigration march plan later today here, organized by Jake Lang. He's part of the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol later pardoned by Trump. It's not clear how many people will show up or if there will be counterprotests, but it has many here worried it could be a kind of powder-keg moment in the midst of all of this.
SIMON: NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Minneapolis. Kat, thanks so much.
LONSDORF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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