Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on ICE operations in Minneapolis

(CBS, KYMA) - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about ICE operations in Minneapolis.

Bringing up her previous interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Brennan said the secretary called on Mayor Frey to set up a safe zone where "protests would be contained."

This prompted her to ask the mayor if this is something he's looking at, to which he said:

"First Amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city. You are allowed to protest, so long as you're doing it peacefully. And by the way, we've got tens of thousands of people in Minneapolis that are grinning down the bear, that are peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights. So no, you can't have just one section of a city. That's not the way First Amendment works."

Brennan followed up by reporting on Frey and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) being investigated by the Justice Department over an alleged conspiracy to hinder immigration enforcement.

This led Brennan to ask if he has received a subpoena or any official notice that he's under investigation, and if so, for what, and Frey said:

"We have not received any official anything at this point, and so, I can't comment on what I don't know about. That being said, this whole dynamic is deeply concerning because supposedly, they would be coming for me and targeting me for something that is core and critical to my job as mayor, and that is speaking for my residents and my constituents. That we are at a place right now where the Department of Justice or the federal government could be coming after senators and governors and mayors simply for speaking for their respective constituencies and disagreeing with this federal administration...I mean, this kind of thing happens in other countries. This cannot happen in America."

During the interview, Brennan and Frey talked about Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asking Minnesota residents to gather information about federal action and post them on his website, leading her to ask the mayor what is the intent of the incident reports, and if he's asking them to do something that could endanger them, and Frey said:

"No, civilians should not be involved in enforcement operations, taking a cell phone out and video taping what's going on is not enforcement, that's transparency. You know, sunlight can be the best disinfectant, and in this case, yeah, they're disinfecting some of the really horrible things that are taking place on our street. Because, you know, to the extent that ICE agents are doing things that are unconstitutional, by the way they are, this is their opportunity to make sure that it is seen, that it is judged, and that we get our day in court."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Frey, click here.