Minnesota and Illinois sue Trump administration over immigration enforcement surge

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.

• Minnesota officials open state probe into ICE shooting as protests spread
• U.S. Homeland Security open to sending more troops to Minnesota after fatal ICE shooting

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.

Copied