Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., accused Minnesota Democrats of deliberately stoking unrest against immigration enforcement as federal agents face escalating confrontations in and around Minneapolis.
Donalds called Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey "a fool and a clown," arguing that if state leaders wanted to uphold the rule of law, they would enroll in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) 287(g) program.
The initiative allows state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce certain aspects of immigration law, expanding their authority to identify, process and detain removable noncitizens under ICE supervision, according to ICE’s website.
"But he doesn't want to do that. You see, Mayor Frey and Gov. Walz, they want the crazy," Donalds said Monday on "Fox & Friends."
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"That's what they're looking for. They want the AstroTurf protesters... They're trying to stand up to President Trump, because their party has no ideas, and they choose this route."
Donalds believes the protesters were paid to cause a "mess" and accused them of hypocrisy over free speech in the wake of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church on Sunday. Protesters interrupted a worship service, believing a pastor inside was affiliated with ICE.
"These are the people who will say they have a First Amendment right to speak, but they just trampled on the First Amendment right of that church to be able to worship," Donalds said.
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Tensions between ICE agents and protesters have reached a boiling point in Minnesota, fueled by the ICE-involved killing of Renee Good. In response to the unrest, President Donald Trump has ordered 1,500 soldiers to prepare for potential deployment to the state.
Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Donalds invoked the civil rights leader's legacy to encourage peaceful protest.
"Dr. King's legacy has always been about peaceful protesting, making sure that the character of your protest, the heart of your protests, is what the nation saw," he said. "And so I think it's important, especially on this day, in light of what's happening in Minneapolis, that these protesters try to embody Dr. King."
"If you disagree, speak very clearly [about] your disagreement, but don't go after officers. Don't intimidate them. Don't try to dox them and their families. That does not live up to the legacy of Dr. King, not one bit."
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
