Minnesota and Illinois have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, seeking to block a surge of federal immigration enforcement officers sent into their states following the fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. immigration officer in Minneapolis last week.
Minnesota’s lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Keith Ellison, names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and senior immigration officials as defendants and asks a federal court to declare the deployment of federal agents unconstitutional and unlawful, and to halt the operation with an emergency restraining order.
Ellison accused the administration of racially profiling residents and targeting Minnesota because it is governed by Democrats. He said the presence of thousands of armed and masked federal agents had caused serious harm to the state.
“This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop,” Ellison said.
Illinois filed a similar lawsuit on Monday (12 January). Democratic Governor JB Pritzker said the state was seeking to block what he called the Department of Homeland Security’s “dangerous use of force.” The Illinois case asks a federal court to prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection from carrying out civil immigration enforcement in the state and to restrict tactics such as the use of tear gas, trespassing on private property and obscuring licence plates.
Minnesota’s lawsuit also calls for limits on federal officers’ conduct, including banning threats or displays of force against people not subject to arrest, requiring visible identification, activating body-worn cameras and prohibiting officers from concealing their faces.
The Department of Homeland Security rejected the accusations, saying Minnesota was a “sanctuary” state that had failed to enforce federal immigration laws. Secretary Noem accused state leaders of putting politics ahead of public safety and vowed to continue the administration’s crackdown.
The legal action follows the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on 7 January while observing a federal operation in Minneapolis. The Trump administration has said the officer acted in self-defence, while critics and protesters have challenged that account.
Tensions remained high on Monday when ICE agents confronted crowds in Minneapolis during another enforcement action. Reuters witnesses said agents used tear gas and chemical spray after bystanders threw snowballs, before ultimately retreating.
President Trump has defended the deployment of federal officers to cities and states led by Democrats as necessary to combat illegal immigration and crime. Democratic leaders, however, say the actions amount to a politically motivated abuse of power, deepening divisions between the federal government and state authorities.
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Any U.S. military strike on Iran would almost certainly trigger cross-border retaliation and could ignite a wider regional war, according to political analyst James M. Dorsey.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, Iranian media reported on Monday, signalling a possible diplomatic opening after months of heightened tensions.
Tensions flared on X this week after German MEP Michael Gahler called leaders of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party “Moscow creatures”, criticising recent legislation he says threatens the country’s democratic path.
German authorities have arrested five people suspected of running a criminal network to circumvent European Union sanctions by exporting goods to at least 24 sanctioned Russian defence companies, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
Dmitry Medvedev, said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any U.S. military attack on Iran would spark a wider regional conflict, Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
U.S. president Donald Trump said Iran is “seriously talking” with the United States and expressed hope that negotiations could lead to an outcome acceptable to Washington.
Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar are trying to organise a meeting in Ankara between White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and top Iranian officials, according to reports in the U.S. and Turkish media.
German authorities have arrested five people suspected of running a criminal network to circumvent European Union sanctions by exporting goods to at least 24 sanctioned Russian defence companies, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 2nd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
At least 12 people were killed and seven wounded after a Russian drone struck a bus carrying miners in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, government officials said on Sunday (1 February).
The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
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