Minnesota and Twin Cities Sue Federal Government to Block ICE Enforcement Surge After Fatal Minneapolis Shooting
The state of Minnesota, alongside the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, has launched legal action against the federal government in response to a major enforcement escalation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The lawsuit follows the deadly shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE officer and aims to stop or restrict the ongoing operation.
Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul file a federal lawsuit seeking to halt ICE’s largest-ever enforcement surge following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an immigration officer.
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Filed in federal court on Monday, the case includes a request for a temporary restraining order that would either pause the enforcement push or significantly limit its scope while the court reviews the matter.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 2,000 immigration officers have been deployed to Minnesota as part of the operation. Officials say the surge has already resulted in over 2,000 arrests in Minneapolis since it began last month, describing it as the largest enforcement effort ICE has ever undertaken.
The lawsuit challenges what is known as Operation Metro Surge, arguing that it violates federal law by being arbitrary and capricious. The filing claims that Minnesota is being singled out, noting that other states are not facing similar levels of immigration enforcement.
While the Trump administration has framed the surge as an effort to combat fraud, the lawsuit disputes that justification. It asserts that ICE agents lack the necessary expertise to investigate fraud within government programs, undermining the stated purpose of the operation.
State and city officials further contend that the real motivation behind the crackdown is political. The lawsuit argues that targeting Minnesota in this way amounts to a violation of the First Amendment.
Tensions escalated again on Monday when federal officers used tear gas to disperse a group of bystanders in Minneapolis. The crowd had gathered to observe the aftermath of a car accident involving immigration agents, which occurred just blocks from the site of last week’s fatal shooting.
Witnesses said the incident unfolded after agents rear-ended a vehicle and began questioning the driver. As onlookers assembled and blew whistles, officers deployed tear gas to break up the crowd before leaving the scene amid shouts of “cowards.”
The confrontation came amid heightened emotions following the death of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and a weekend marked by additional immigration enforcement sweeps across the Minneapolis area. In response, dozens of protests and vigils were held nationwide to honor Good and strongly criticize the Trump administration’s approach.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, visited a memorial for Good, 37, at the location where she was shot in the head while driving her SUV.
Officials from the Trump administration have repeatedly defended the ICE agent involved in the shooting, claiming that Good and her vehicle posed a threat. That explanation has been sharply criticized by Walz and others, who point to video footage of the incident to dispute the account.
On Monday, Christian Molina, a U.S. citizen from Coon Rapids, described a separate encounter with immigration agents. He said he was driving to a mechanic when another vehicle began following him and activated a siren.
Molina explained that his car was struck from behind as he turned a corner. He said he refused to show identification to the agents, insisting he would wait for local law enforcement instead.
“I’m glad they didn’t shoot me or something,” Molina told reporters as he stood near his damaged vehicle, questioning who would be responsible for the repair costs.
In a separate incident across the country, federal authorities in Portland, Oregon, announced charges against a Venezuelan national who was one of two people shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers on Thursday. According to the U.S. Justice Department, the man used his pickup truck to ram a Border Patrol vehicle before fleeing the scene with a woman.
Both individuals were later shot and taken into custody. Officials said their injuries were not life-threatening. Unlike the shooting of Renee Good, the FBI confirmed there was no video footage of the Portland incident.
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