Protestors march throughout a “Nationwide Shutdown” demonstration towards ICE enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Stephen Maturen | Getty Photos
A Federal decide on Saturday rejected a request from state officers to instantly halt the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
The court docket mentioned the plaintiffs — the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul — failed to supply ample proof to justify the usage of an emergency order to instantly halt U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) exercise within the state.
The crackdown on immigration enforcement by federal brokers in Minnesota “has had, and can probably proceed to have, profound and even heartbreaking penalties,” U.S. District Choose Katherine Menendez mentioned within the ruling.
Menendez didn’t challenge a choice on whether or not the exercise itself was lawful. Fairly, she mentioned that the plaintiffs failed to satisfy the usual required for an emergency order to cease exercise instantly, in line with the ruling.
The choice comes amid widespread protests and backlash towards federal immigration enforcement exercise within the state, particularly after deadly shootings by immigration brokers in Minneapolis ensuing within the deaths of U.S. residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Lawyer Common Pam Bondi referred to as the ruling “HUGE.” “Neither sanctuary insurance policies nor meritless litigation will cease the Trump Administration from implementing federal regulation in Minnesota,” she mentioned in a publish on X.
