US President Donald Trump has warned that a "reckoning and retribution" is coming to the US state of Minnesota, as protests continue over the killing of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and state leaders pursue legal action against federal authorities.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that crime had dropped everywhere he had sent federal agents, accusing Democrats in Minnesota of exploiting unrest for political gain.
"Fear not, great people of Minnesota, the day of reckoning & retribution is coming!" Trump wrote, without clarifying what form such action would take.
The warning has come after Minnesota and its two largest cities, Minneapolis and St Paul, filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, seeking to halt what they described as a "federal invasion" of the state.
The lawsuit challenges the deployment of more than 2,000 federal agents, calling it unprecedented and unconstitutional.
It also links the surge to the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7.
State and city officials allege that the operation has resulted in widespread civil rights violations and has instilled fear across communities.
Trump later told CBS News that Good was likely a "very solid, wonderful person" under normal circumstances, but said her behaviour during the encounter was "pretty tough."
"I have seen it many ways, in many different shapes and forms," Trump said.
"We have hundreds of thousands of murderers in our country. ICE is trying to get them out."
Federal officials have claimed Good attempted to ram an agent with her vehicle, a version of events disputed by state and local authorities, as well as demonstrators who have taken to the streets nationwide.
The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating the 10th Amendment by overriding Minnesota’s authority to police itself, describing the enforcement campaign as politically motivated.
"Defendants’ actions appear designed to provoke community outrage, sow fear, and inflict emotional distress," the filing says.
Named defendants include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Customs and Border Protection commander Greg Bovino.
