Minnesota sues Trump administration over immigration crackdown
Lawsuit argues federal deployment in Minneapolis violates constitutional rights and seeks to halt surge of immigration agents.
Minnesota has sued the Trump administration to block a surge of federal immigration agents deployed to the state, seeking a court ruling that the enforcement operation is unconstitutional and unlawful.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota by Attorney General Keith Ellison, alongside the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, naming US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other immigration officials.
The legal action seeks to halt what the state calls an unprecedented surge of immigration enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security, including agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection, deployed across the Twin Cities.
Minnesota officials argue the operation has led to constitutional violations and widespread disruption.
They are asking the court to prevent federal officers from making arrests without probable cause, threatening or using force against those not subject to immigration detention, and to declare the entire surge unlawful.
The lawsuit has been filed amid escalating tensions following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman, 37-year-old Renée Good, by an ICE officer earlier this month.
The incident has prompted protests and heightened public scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics.
Local leaders have described the surge as a "federal invasion" that has strained community safety and civil rights, while federal authorities maintain their actions fall within constitutional authority.