Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin sharply criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over claims involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity near schools, saying his remarks ignored the facts on the ground and overlooked recent arrests targeting serious public safety threats in Minneapolis.
McLaughlin made the remarks while addressing statements from educators and politicians who suggested federal law enforcement improperly entered school property.
She said those claims were inaccurate and failed to acknowledge why law enforcement actions occurred.
“And it also didn’t seem like those individuals speaking had the facts on the ground,” McLaughlin said.
“Secretary Noem was just there in Minneapolis, as you both know.”
McLaughlin said recent operations in Minneapolis involved arrests of individuals accused of severe crimes, including child exploitation offenses.
She said those arrests were conducted in coordination with local law enforcement and were focused on protecting the public.
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“And what we saw, as far as arrests go, was they were arresting multiple child pedophiles,” she said.
“I’ve seen the reports of who they’ve picked up, scores and scores of child pedophiles, these educators should really be thanking ICE .”
McLaughlin addressed concerns raised about ICE entering schools, stating that federal law enforcement does not operate inside schools unless there is a direct threat to public safety.
“Our law enforcement does not go into schools unless there is a public safety threat within those schools,” she said.
She pointed specifically to an incident that occurred earlier in the week, which she said had been mischaracterized by critics.
According to McLaughlin, the situation began with an individual who assaulted law enforcement officers and then led them on a lengthy pursuit.
“What we saw on Wednesday, which one of those educators was referring to, was there was an individual who was assaulting our law enforcement, and he started a chase that went about five miles,” McLaughlin said.
She said the suspect escalated the danger during the pursuit.
“This subject of this chase started going over barriers. He was running red lights, and eventually he took the chase onto school grounds,” she said.
McLaughlin emphasized that law enforcement actions on school property were the result of the suspect’s behavior, not a decision by officers to target schools.
“Our law enforcement did not go into this school and made sure to defuse the situation so that it was this subject, this individual, who put children at risk,” she said.
She contrasted the actions of federal and local law enforcement with what she described as political rhetoric that failed to account for victims of crime.
“It is our law enforcement and President Trump and Secretary Noem who are actually protecting these children on the ground in Minneapolis,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said she believed Walz and other politicians were failing to acknowledge the impact of crime on victims, particularly children.
“When unfortunately, we see Tim Walz and a lot of these politicians turning a blind eye to the victims of these crimes, to the children who have been exploited, who have been abused, and to also other victims of murder,” she said.
She added that recent enforcement activity in Minneapolis extended beyond child exploitation cases and included arrests tied to broader public safety concerns.
“We had picked up a known or suspected terrorist, multiple gang members, just in the last five weeks that we’ve been in Minneapolis,” McLaughlin said.
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