Minnesota, Twin Cities file lawsuit in effort to stop ICE surge in state
(CBS NEWS) – Sources from CBS News say the state of Minnesota, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, are suing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials in an effort to stop the surge of federal law enforcement officials coming into the state.
State officials said the lawsuit, filed on Monday, is asking the federal court to “end the unprecedented surge of DHS agents into the state and declare it unconstitutional and unlawful.”
The lawsuit, according to officials, also asks the court for a temporary restraining order, citing the immediate harm the state and cities are facing.
“We allege that the surge, reckless impact on our schools, on our local law enforcement, is a violation of the 10th Amendment and the sovereign laws and powers of the Constitution,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said while discussing the lawsuit on Monday afternoon.
The court document comes one day after Noem said that hundreds more federal agents were headed to Minneapolis, and less than a week after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday.
The Trump administration initiated a massive deployment of approximately 2,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities amid a widening fraud scandal on Jan. 5. The influx involves agents from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations overseeing a 30-day operation. Agents from DHS are expected to probe alleged cases of fraud.
Homeland Security Investigations on Dec. 29 conducted a “massive investigation on child care and other rampant fraud” in the Twin Cities, according to Noem. Two DHS officials told CBS News that federal agents were expected to inspect over 30 sites. Many of their targets were day care centers referenced in a viral video posted by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley.
CBS News conducted its own analysis of nearly 12 day care centers mentioned by Shirley: all but two have active licenses, according to state records, and all active locations were visited by state regulators within the last six months.
Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge, which has targeted Somali immigrants in Minnesota, started at the beginning of December. The operation has led to more than 2,000 arrests, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Federal agents have also been detaining several protesters and observers.
Thousands of people against the presence of ICE agents in Minnesota participated in a march and rally in Minneapolis on Saturday. It was one of many demonstrations that have taken place around the state and the nation since the fatal shooting of Good.
Illinois on Monday filed a lawsuit against DHS over what state officials called “unlawful and dangerous tactics” used by Customs and Border Protection and ICE agents in the state.
The court document, which also names other federal officials, alleges federal agents arrested people without warrants or probable cause and “implemented an illegal policy of deploying Border Patrol” to Chicago and other parts of Illinois.
