A U.S. judge has refused to order President Donald Trump’s administration to halt immigration enforcement in Minnesota amid mass protests over the fatal shooting by federal agents in the state.
U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul in a lawsuit filed this month.
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He said state officials have strongly shown that immigration officials’ tactics, including shootings and evidence of racial profiling, “have serious and even heartbreaking consequences for Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and Minnesotans.”
However, Menendez said in his ruling that “ultimately, the court determined that the balance of damages did not favor an injunction.”
The lawsuit seeks to stop or curtail a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation that sent thousands of immigration agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, sparked mass protests and led to the killing of two Americans by federal agents.
Tensions have been high since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good in her car on January 7.
Federal border agents also killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Preti in the city on January 24, further fueling public anger and calls for accountability.
Trump’s so-called “border czar” Tom Homan told reporters earlier this week that the administration is working to make immigration operations “safer, more efficient (and) on track.”
But that didn’t stop the demonstrations, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Minneapolis on Friday amid a nationwide strike to denounce the Trump administration’s repression.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from a vigil in St. Paul on Saturday, City Council member Cheniqua Johnson said, “I feel like the federal government is here to besiege Minnesota more than to protect us.”
He said residents said they were afraid to leave their homes to buy groceries. “We’re getting calls from community members who are struggling to do (everyday) things,” Johnson said.
“That’s why we see people willing to stand up and march by the thousands in minus-degree weather in Minnesota against the injustices we see in the absence of law and order.”
racial profiling accusations
Minnesota state and local officials argued in the lawsuit that the immigration crackdown was retaliation for Washington’s initial failed attempt to withhold federal funds to force immigrants to cooperate.
They argued that the surge amounted to an unconstitutional drain on state and local resources, pointing to school and business closures in response to statements by local officials from aggressive, poorly trained and armed federal agents.
Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general, also accused federal agents of racially profiling people, illegally detaining lawful residents for hours on end, and using coercive tactics to incite fear.
The Trump administration said the operation was aimed at enforcing federal immigration law as part of the president’s push to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
On Saturday, District Judge Menendez said his decision not to issue a temporary restraining order, which would be subject to court arguments, was not making a final ruling on the statewide case.
She also did not determine whether Minnesota’s immigration crackdown violated the law.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the judge’s decision a “huge” victory for the Justice Department.
“Neither sanctuary policies nor frivolous lawsuits will stop the Trump administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota,” she wrote to X.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he was disappointed with the ruling.
“This decision does not change what people here have been experiencing: the fear, chaos, and harm caused by a federal operation that did not belong in Minneapolis in the first place,” Frey said in a statement.
“This operation did not provide public safety; on the contrary, it provided security and undermined the order necessary for a functioning city. This is an invasion and must be stopped.”
