US judge declines to halt Trump’s Minnesota immigration agent surge
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Federal agents confronting protesters in Minneapolis on Jan 24.
PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER/NYTIMES
- Judge Menendez declined to halt Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, despite concerns of civil rights abuses raised by Minnesota's Attorney-General.
- The lawsuit alleged racial profiling and unlawful detention by federal agents, with incidents like the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti intensifying tensions.
- Despite the ruling, the judge acknowledged the "profound" impact on Minnesotans, while US Attorney-General Pam Bondi hailed it as a win for enforcement.
AI generated
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota federal judge on Jan 31 declined to order a halt to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis, in a lawsuit by state officials accusing federal agents of widespread civil rights abuses.
US District Judge Kate Menendez in Minneapolis handed down the ruling.
The lawsuit by the Minnesota Attorney-General’s Office sought to block or rein in a US Department of Homeland Security operation that sent thousands of immigration agents to Minneapolis-St. Paul, sparking weeks of protests and leading to the killings of two US citizens by federal agents.
Mr Trump said on Jan 31 that he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security
Judge Menendez was appointed by Democratic former president Joe Biden.
Judge Menendez noted that the federal appeals court recently stayed a much narrower injunction curtailing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics in Minnesota.
“If that injunction went too far, then the one at issue here – halting the entire operation – certainly would,” she wrote.
The lawsuit accused federal agents of racially profiling citizens, unlawfully detaining lawful residents for hours and stoking fear with heavy-handed tactics.
Minnesota Attorney-General Keith Ellison, an elected Democrat, also accused the Trump administration of targeting Minnesota out of animus for its Democratic political leanings.
The Trump administration said the operation was aimed at enforcing federal immigration laws pursuant to the Republican President’s policies.
Some administration officials said the surge would end if Minnesota acquiesced to certain demands, including ending legal protections for people living in the US without legal authorisation.
“We’re obviously disappointed in the court’s ruling today, but this case is in its infancy and there is much legal road in front of us, so we’re fighting on,” Mr Ellison said in a statement.
Tensions in Minneapolis-St Paul ramped up after the Jan 7 killing of Ms Renee Good, who was shot in her car by a federal immigration agent
The fatal shooting of Mr Alex Pretti
The Trump administration defended the agents, saying they had acted in self-defence.
But videos of the events cast doubt on those narratives and fuelled calls for the agents to be criminally prosecuted.
Federal authorities refused to cooperate with local law enforcement investigations of the killings.
Mr Trump and Minnesota’s Democratic Governor, Mr Tim Walz, spoke on Jan 26 and had a productive conversation about de-escalating tensions
Mr Trump has deployed federal law enforcement officers into several cities and states largely governed by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
He said his actions were necessary to enforce immigration laws and control crime, but Democrats accused Mr Trump of abusing his powers as the top federal law enforcer.
But comments by Mr Trump on Jan 31 suggested that federal law enforcement deployments will only happen in the future if cities request it.
“If they want help, they have to ask for it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Jan 31. “Because if we go in, all they do is complain.” REUTERS
