White House accuses St. Paul’s ‘sick politicians’ of not cooperating with ICE

President Donald Trump’s administration and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter took shots at each other Tuesday over the federal government’s deportation efforts.

The White House published a memo Tuesday that took aim at five state or municipal governments across the U.S. who, it argued, want violent criminals to roam free.

With the headline, “Sick politicians want killers, rapists roaming our streets,” St. Paul was at the top of a list that also included Chicago, Washington state, Los Angeles and New York City.

The memo specifically names Mayor Melvin Carter, City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. It highlights statements each has made about local law enforcement not cooperating with deportation efforts carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“President Donald J. Trump is removing illegal immigrant killers, rapists, and drug dealers from our streets and sending them back where they belong — but if politicians in so-called ‘sanctuary’ locales had it their way, these vicious criminals would still be free to roam our streets,” the memo said.

In a statement posted to X on Tuesday night, Carter said, “President Trump’s rhetoric makes law-abiding neighbors afraid to go to school, attend church, or even call 911. By contrast, our Saint Paul officers solve murder investigations at twice the national rate and have cut violent crime by double digits.

“If the President wants real solutions to avoid a repeat of the record homicide surge America suffered during his first term, we’re happy to help.”

In his first month in office, Trump has dramatically expanded immigration detention and deportation of noncitizens.

Officials in St. Paul – and those in other cities and states across the country – have resisted local law enforcement from assisting those efforts, often arguing that immigration is a federal issue and that local assistance would harm the public’s trust in law enforcement.

St. Paul and Minneapolis have “separation ordinances,” which discourage or prohibit employees, including police, from asking residents about their immigration status, except when required by law. They also limit what data can be shared with federal immigration officials, unless by a court order.

The White House memo contrasted the positions of Carter, Kim and Ellison with claims that ICE had recently arrested three noncitizens in St. Paul who have been convicted of sex crimes against children. It did not specify where the crimes occurred.

The memo contrasted those details with recent statements made by the three officials from Minnesota:

Christopher Magan and Nicole Norfleet of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.