The US justice department is investigating Minnesota Democrats for allegedly obstructing ICE

The US justice department is investigating two prominent Minnesota officials for allegedly trying to obstruct federal immigration agents, in an escalation of the Trump administration’s clash with Democrats.

Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are facing a question about statements they made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reports the BBC’s US affiliate CBS.

It comes as new details emerge in the death of a Minneapolis woman who was shot last week by an ICE agent in the city, sparking protests across the country.

Renee Good, 37, was found with at least three gunshot wounds and possibly a fourth to the head, according to official reports viewed by CBS.

Governor Walz responded on Friday to the news of the inquiry against him by posting X: “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.

“The only person not investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”

The governor urged Minnesotans to protest peacefully, although the Trump administration has previously accused him of inflammatory rhetoric for describing ICE as a “modern-day Gestapo”. Frey demanded that immigration agents be released from Minneapolis.

The Washington Post reports that the justice department has issued subpoenas to Walz and Frey.

The inquiry focused on a federal statute, 18 USC § 372, which makes it a crime for two or more people to conspire to prevent federal officials from performing their official duties through “force, intimidation or threats”, a US official told CBS.

Protests continued in Minneapolis on Friday after new details emerged about Good’s death, and local officials appealed for calm on the streets this public holiday weekend.

An incident report from the Minneapolis Fire Department said that when they responded to the shooting last week, it appeared that Good had been shot twice in the chest, one in his left arm and a fourth wound, possibly from a gunshot, was seen “on the left side of the patient’s head”.

Paramedics found Good unresponsive with an irregular pulse, and he was pronounced dead in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to a report seen by CBS.

The Trump administration said Good obstructed federal law enforcement and tried to run the agent. Local officials say Good is a legal observer who poses no risk.

Video of the incident shows ICE agents approaching a vehicle, which is blocking traffic and parked in the middle of the road. An officer ordered him out of the car.

As Good spun his wheel as if trying to drive away, his Honda Pilot SUV pulled forward with one of the agents standing near the front of the vehicle. He pulled out his gun and fired.

Footage from the scene shows the agent walking away afterwards.

But Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told CBS that the officer suffered internal bleeding after the incident. No further details were disclosed.

The FBI is investigating the incident, although there is no federal civil rights investigation into the agent who fired the shots.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump blasted demonstrators and local leaders on Friday.

In Truth Social, he accused the protesters of being “highly paid professionals”, adding that Walz and Frey had “lost control”.

Later, the Republican president told reporters at the White House that he did not plan to invoke the Insurrection Act and send troops to quell the unrest in Minnesota, after earlier this week suggesting he might do so.

“If I need it, I’ll use it. I don’t think there’s any reason now to use it,” he said. “It’s very powerful,” he added.

Thousands of ICE officers remain deployed in the state.

Democratic lawmakers traveled to town and spent Friday condemning federal immigration operations in the state, accusing ICE of indiscriminate and lawless actions.

Ilhan Omar, a congressman from Minnesota who has long fought Trump, said ICE was trying to “incite chaos and fear”.

Adriano Espaillat, a congressman from New York, said that ICE has become a “lethal weapon”.

Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said ICE agents should not be allowed to wear masks, or make arrests without warrants, and should have body cameras and name tags.

Democratic lawmakers also interviewed several residents who said they were handcuffed and detained by ICE for hours until they could prove they were US citizens.

The BBC has contacted DHS and ICE for comment.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told CNN on Friday that if there is “reasonable suspicion” of someone “being in the vicinity” of someone detained in a DHS operation, they may be asked to confirm their identity.

He dismissed suggestions that such tactics would be discriminatory, saying “racial animus has no place at DHS”.