Is This Fort Sumter?" Governor Asks as Federal Forces Kill Two in Minnesota

"I mean, is this a Fort Sumter?" Minnesota Governor Tim Walz asked, his question hanging heavy in the air of his state capitol office. The Civil War reference wasn't hyperbole—it was the measured concern of a leader watching federal agents kill his constituents while state authorities are blocked from investigating.

In less than two weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have shot and killed two Minneapolis residents: Renee Good and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse. Unlike Fort Sumter, where Confederates fired the first shots in 1861, this time it's federal forces pulling triggers on American soil against American citizens.

When Federal Authority Becomes Federal Assault

The killings occurred during what the Trump administration calls the largest immigration-enforcement operation in U.S. history. Thousands of federal agents have flooded Minnesota, creating what Walz describes as "a physical assault" and "an armed force that's assaulting, that's killing my constituents."

The governor, who stepped away from his reelection bid to focus on the crisis, received a warning call from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey after Good's death: "Get yourself prepared." Both men understood the potential for unrest not seen since the 2020 protests following George Floyd's murder.

But this situation carries a different constitutional weight. State authorities have been blocked from investigating the killings. Instead, Walz himself has been placed under federal investigation alongside other Democratic officials. The Justice Department is demanding access to Minnesota's voter rolls, framing it as a quid pro quo for restoring "law and order."

The President's "Very Good Call"

Despite calling Walz "seriously retarded" on social media, President Trump reported having a "very good call" with the governor this week. Yet according to Walz, that conversation revealed the administration's tone-deaf approach to the crisis.

Trump didn't mention Pretti's name, didn't express condolences, and didn't ask about residents' wellbeing. Instead, he complained: "I just don't understand you Minnesotans," arguing that ICE raids had "worked fine" elsewhere, including New Orleans and Louisville.

The president pressed for cooperation while senior advisers labeled Pretti a "domestic terrorist" and "would-be assassin"—characterizations Trump declined to repeat publicly but didn't disavow privately.

Walz set two conditions for cooperation: removing federal agents and allowing state participation in death investigations. "I'm not going to send my police in to search preschools," he told Trump. "I'm not going to have them walk down the street and ask brown people for their papers."

A Window Closing Tomorrow

The administration has made one tactical shift, replacing Gregory Bovino with border czar Tom Homan. Unlike Bovino, who never called the governor, Homan reached out immediately and acknowledged the operation was "a mess" and "wrong."

But acknowledgment isn't action. Walz gave Homan several days to demonstrate "massive change" in federal tactics. That window closes tomorrow.

"The folks on the street are skeptical," Walz warned. The damage is already profound—families fleeing when they mistake the governor's security detail for ICE vehicles, children staying home from school, residents afraid to buy groceries.

The Broader Warning

Minnesota may be a preview of coming attractions. "That assault will come to your state soon," Walz warned other governors. Some Republican leaders are taking notice—Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Phil Scott of Vermont have called for pausing operations or resetting enforcement tactics.

But there's something personal about Trump's focus on Minnesota, a state he falsely claims to have won three times. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Minnesota native, posted "ICE > MN" on social media, prompting Walz to call it "absolutely despicable."

The Justice Department's demand for voter rolls suggests this isn't just about immigration—it's about the November election. Walz predicts Trump's party will be "wiped out" in a free and fair vote, "assuming there is one."