U.S. Judge Denies Minnesota's Bid to Halt Large-Scale ICE Raid
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez determined that Minnesota, alongside the municipalities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, failed to satisfy the stringent legal threshold necessary to terminate "Operation Metro Surge," even as she recognized what she characterized as "profound and even heartbreaking consequences" affecting local communities.
Launched in December 2025, Operation Metro Surge currently deploys roughly 3,000 federal immigration enforcement personnel throughout Minnesota's Twin Cities metropolitan area. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has characterized the initiative as "the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out."
The enforcement sweep targeting undocumented immigrants has yielded approximately 3,000 detentions to date, while aggressive raid methodologies employed by federal officers have ignited daily demonstrations statewide and nationally—particularly following two fatalities of American citizens killed during street operations.
Minnesota's legal challenge asserted that the federal deployment breached the U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment, which allocates specific governmental authority to states rather than federal institutions.
Menendez, however, concluded that the state's assertions of being subjected to punitive or discriminatory treatment by federal authorities proved inadequate grounds for enjoining Operation Metro Surge, determining that constitutional precedent supporting Minnesota's position remained ambiguous.
Within her decision, Menendez recognized evidence demonstrating federal immigration officers conducted racial profiling and employed disproportionate force—accusations the government chose not to contest—and referenced pervasive disruptions to ordinary civic function, encompassing elevated law enforcement expenditures, diminished student attendance rates, and compromised emergency response capabilities.
Nevertheless, she ruled that completely suspending the immigration initiative would exceed established judicial precedent, observing that a federal appellate tribunal had previously reversed a more limited directive she had issued constraining officers' force applications.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the ruling as a legal triumph, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey voiced frustration. The litigation proceeds forward, as Saturday's decision solely rejected the request for immediate provisional relief.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
