Minneapolis Mayor Rejects Kristi Noem's Call for Protest Zone

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Jan 18, 2026 at 02:46 PM EST updated Jan 18, 2026 at 02:47 PM EST


Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey rejected Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's proposal to establish a designated protest zone in the city during separate Sunday morning appearances on CBS News' Face the Nation.

Noem called for creating a "peaceful protest zone" to balance public safety with First Amendment rights, while Frey countered saying, "First Amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city."

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Frey's comments, telling Newsweek on Sunday in part, "The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly–not rioting," defending federal operations as "appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law."

The exchange occurred amid escalating tensions over federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, where nearly 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents have been deployed in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has called its largest operation in history.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/minneapolis-mayor-rejects-kristi-noems-call-for-protest-zone-11379009

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Redux of Shrub's fenced "Free Speech Zones - Free Speech Under Fire: The ACLU Challenge to "Protest Zones (where the SCOTUS ruled that they were okay for Presidents (although I don't know if that was applicable for other situations, which had their own suits)).

[underpants]

1. Aside from the obvious, corral the citizens for the ICEholes to attack?

That little Nazi Bovino would love that for a photo-op and influencer clicks.

[vapor2]

2. When do impeachment proceedings begin for the cowgirl

[Lovie777]

3. Nobody puts baby in the corner.....

[Deuxcents]

4. Good on you, Mr Mayor.

[bamagal62]

5. So is it supposed to be like singapore

Where you have one little box/corner on which you can protest. Fuck that.

[Srkdqltr]

6. If ice left there would be no need for zones.

[pnwmom]

7. And our Constitution established a Democratic Republic, not a fascist dictatorship. nt

[ret5hd]

8. "Enjoy your right to free speech...

the armed forces welcomes your decision.”

[Qutzupalotl]

9. How about a peaceful ICE zone.

We could make it … everywhere!

[artemisia1]

10. Just like the GW Bush era's "Free Speech Zones". I remember an elderly veteran, probably no longer alive now,

saying on national TV, "I thought the whole country was a free speech zone".

IT IS.

[SunSeeker]

12. Exactly!

[AverageOldGuy]

11. Here is Mayor Frey's bio from Wikipedia

Here is Mayor Frey's bio from Wikipedia.

My suggestion to Noem is don't fuck with this guy. Anyone who runs marathon in 2:16 is afraid of nothing. (My best time was 3:45 and that was a LOOOOONG time ago. The marathon is 26.3 miles -- today I'd do well to drive that distance in an hour.)

QUOTED FROM Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Frey

Frey was born in Arlington County, Virginia,[6] to a Jewish family. He grew up in nearby Oakton, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., where his parents, Christopher and Jamie (nee' Goldstein)[7] Frey[8] were professional modern ballet dancers. His mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and his father converted to Judaism.[9][10]

Frey attended the College of William and Mary after graduating from high school, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004.[11][12] While attending, he was a distance runner on the track and field team and all-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) cross-country runner. He competed at the 2002 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.[13][14] Frey won the 2002 CAA 5,000-meter title in track.[14]

Career
After graduating from college, Frey received a contract from a shoe company to run professionally. He ran in several marathons across the country and competed for Team USA in the 2007 Pan American Games marathon, finishing in fourth place and with his personal best marathon time of 2:16:44.[15][16][17]

Frey moved to Minneapolis in 2009 after graduating cum laude from the Villanova University School of Law and joined the law firm Faegre & Benson to practice employment discrimination and civil rights law before moving on to the law firm Halunen & Associates.[18][19][20][21] Frey gave his graduating class's commencement speech.[11]

In late 2011, Frey ran in a special election for an open state senate seat and came in fifth in the party primary, ahead only of someone who had dropped out of the race.[22]
In 2012, Frey founded and organized the first Big Gay Race, a 5K charity race to raise money for Minnesotans United for All Families, a political group organizing for marriage equality.[23]
Frey being sworn in as mayor

Frey ran in the 2013 Minneapolis City Council election to represent Ward 3. He received the Democratic–Farmer–Labor endorsement, as well as endorsements from more than 40 elected officials and organizations.[24] His platform promised better constituent services,[24] to spur residential development,[24] increase the number and variety of small and local businesses, push for full funding of affordable housing, and address climate change. He defeated incumbent Diane Hofstede with more than 60% of the vote and took office on January 2, 2014. He served one term on the Minneapolis City Council before becoming mayor.

[SunSeeker]

13. A lawyer, an athlete, a mensch. Minneapolis is lucky to have him. nt