A federal judge in the US state of Minnesota refused on Saturday to order an end to anti-immigration operations ordered by President Donald Trump in the city of Minneapolis, in a lawsuit filed by state officials who accuse Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of widespread abuses.
Anti-ICE protests in Minnesota PHOTO: EPA EFE
Federal Judge Kate Menendez in Minneapolis said the Minnesota Attorney General's Office presented strong evidence that immigration agents' tactics — including shootings and hints of racial profiling — had “profound and even heartbreaking consequences for the state of Minnesota, the Twin Cities area and the people of Minnesota,” writes Reuters.
However, the judge noted that a federal appeals court recently struck down a much more restrictive order that limited U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) interactions with Minnesota protesters.
“If that order went too far, then the one at issue here — the shutdown of the entire operation — would certainly go even further.” argues Judge Kate Menendez, appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden.
The lawsuit filed by Minnesota state officials seeks to block or limit an operation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that sent thousands of immigration agents to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, sparking weeks of protests and including the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, whose city is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said he was disappointed by the judge's ruling but would continue the lawsuit. “This decision does not change what people here have experienced – fear, disruption and injury caused by a federal operation that should never have happened in Minneapolis in the first place.” Frey said in a statement.
Instead, in a post on X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi called the court's ruling a “HUGE” victory for the Justice Department. “Neither sanctuary policies nor frivolous litigation will stop the Trump administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota,” she stated.
