DeSantis blames Minnesota officials for immigration turmoil there

""What we're not doing is what you have people like Walz and this mayor doing, which is basically trying to sabotage the enforcement operations. They're creating a toxic environment, where they're really inciting people to go out and show hostility to the agents who are doing this. That is not a recipe for success. That is not the way that you do business, and so we're going to continue with positive cooperation. It certainly made a difference here in Florida," DeSantis said."

"Walz and Frey have decried federal agencies' tactics, called for the federal government to stand down, urged people to protest peacefully, and have been thwarted in their attempts to have state and local law enforcement investigate the killings by federal agents instead of having the federal government investigate itself. The governor didn't address the shooting of Renee Good by an Immigrations and Customs officer on Jan. 7 or the shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer on Saturday."

"DeSantis brought up immigration and what's happening in Minnesota at the beginning of an event in The Villages at which he, his wife, Casey DeSantis, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo discussed healthy and harmful foods, focusing on candy. ("My kids would be upset if there was something wrong with Reese's cups," the governor said, adding that they are OK.)"

Ron DeSantis blamed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for fomenting opposition to federal immigration enforcement and for creating a toxic environment that incites hostility toward federal agents. DeSantis contrasted Minnesota officials' actions with Florida's cooperation-focused enforcement approach and credited cooperative policies for different outcomes. Walz and Frey criticized federal tactics, urged peaceful protest, called for the federal government to stand down, and sought state or local investigations into the killings. Two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed in separate shootings involving federal immigration agents. The DeSantis appearance was held at a Villages event billed as a press conference.

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