Bondi’s letter to Walz exposes the Trump administration’s real motive in Minneapolis

This is an adapted excerpt from the Jan. 25 episode of “Velshi.”

In the wake of Alex Pretti’s killing, state and local officials — from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — have renewed their demand that the Trump administration remove the federal immigration forces deployed to the city, forces that are estimated to be as much as five times larger than the local police force.

On Saturday, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent Walz a letter, advising Minnesota officials as to what they would need to do in order to get U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement troops off their streets and “bring an end to the chaos.”

Bondi’s three-step solution to “bring back law and order in Minnesota” includes:

• No. 1: Share the state’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs.
• No. 2: Repeal sanctuary policies.
• No. 3: “Allow the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to access voter rolls to confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law as authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1960.”

But there’s reason to believe the federal government is not being fully transparent about its intentions.

In a video posted online on Saturday, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy had a sharper take on what he believes the government really wants from Minnesota. 

“This has never been about public safety,” Murphy said. “Minneapolis is a much less safe place today because ICE is there. This is likely about trying to rig and steal the election.”

According to Murphy, Donald Trump’s message to Minnesota is simple: “If you don’t give me control of the voter rolls, then ICE isn’t leaving.”

Since Trump returned to the White House, the Justice Department has requested this kind of information from nearly all 50 states, raising concerns that the federal government may try to purge people from the voter rolls.

A handful of Republican-led states have already complied. But the government has sued Minnesota and more than 20 other states (primarily those led by Democrats) to retrieve that information. Minnesota is also one of 10 states that have resisted and told the Justice Department they have concerns about its handling and use of that data.

The Justice Department has said it wants the files to check that states are keeping accurate voter rolls — essentially a fishing expedition to push Trump’s false narrative that noncitizens are illegally voting in large numbers.

But there’s reason to believe the federal government is not being fully transparent about its intentions.

Last year, the Trump administration admitted that it was sharing voter roll information with the Homeland Security Department, which oversees ICE and its brutal crackdown on immigrant communities.

ICE’s fearsome presence in Minneapolis and other cities also serves a dual purpose for Trump. It could help him depress voter turnout in heavily Democratic areas by sowing fear among residents, particularly the Black and brown populations who are clearly being targeted, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.

Masked and anonymous officers continue to chase people down the street and snatch them out of their vehicles, and use force against civilians who are recording their actions.

It’s already terrorizing the people of these communities. People are afraid to go grocery shopping, children are too scared to go to school, and mixed-status families are scared of being separated just for stepping out the door.

If they keep this up, maybe they’ll scare people away from the polls, too.

The context in which all of this is happening is crucial. Trump has previously floated the possibility of running for another term in office, despite the 22nd Amendment’s strict limit of two presidential terms.

Trump suggested that his administration has allegedly been so successful that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

A few days ago, the president posted to social media, “RECORD NUMBERS ALL OVER THE PLACE! SHOULD I TRY FOR A FOURTH TERM?”

It’s unclear what he means by a “fourth” term, whether he intends to run two more times or if he’s counting the 2020 election, which he lost, as part of his record.

Additionally, in an interview with Reuters this month, while speaking about the upcoming midterms, Trump suggested that his administration has been so successful that, “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

The White House said that Trump was “simply joking” about canceling the election — an election he knows he and his party will have a terribly difficult time winning.

Trump sees his sagging job approval numbers. He sees the millions of people around the country who have taken to the streets, multiple times, to protest his oppressive policies, even in below-freezing temperatures, as they continue to do in Minneapolis every day.

Trump knows what he’s up against, and it’s clear he’s getting desperate.

Allison Detzel contributed.