ACLU sues Trump administration over unconstitutional stops, arrests of Minnesotans by federal agents

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class action Thursday against the Trump administration, accusing immigration agents of racially profiling members of Minnesota’s Somali and Latino community throughout the ongoing surge of federal enforcement in the Twin Cities.

“Over the past six weeks, the Trump administration has increased its deployment of federal forces by the thousands,” the ACLU said in a press release. “Masked federal agents in military gear have ignored basic human rights in their enforcement activity against Minnesotans, especially targeting Somali and Latino communities.”

The ACLU named the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies and officials as defendants and describes a “startling pattern of abuse” through the federal government’s police-state tactics that is “fundamentally altering civil life in the Twin Cities.”

The ACLU, in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Minnesota, argues the conduct displayed by federal agents violates the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, immigration law governing warrantless arrests and due process and equal protection as outlined in the Fifth Amendment.

It’s the second lawsuit filed in Minnesota by the ACLU against the federal government in the last month and follows a similar lawsuit Minnesota filed Monday against federal occupation in the state.

Three U.S. citizens are listed as plaintiffs and claim they were at work or shoveling snow when federal agents tackled or detained them, despite attempts to show and prove identification.

One plaintiff, 20-year-old Mubashir Khalif Hussen, claimed ICE detained him on his walk to lunch and that he was only let go after being shackled, having his fingerprints taken and showing a photo of his passport card to an individual at the Whipple federal building miles away from where he was stopped.

“At no time did any officer ask me whether I was a citizen or if I had any immigration status,” Hussen said.

Another plaintiff, 25-year-old Mahamed Eydarus, claimed he was shoveling snow with his mother when several unidentified, masked federal agents surrounded them and demanded identification — without identifying themselves or presenting a warrant.

“ICE and CBP’s practices are both illegal and morally reprehensible,” Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, staff attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota, said. “Federal agents’ conduct — sweeping up Minnesotans through racial profiling and unlawful arrests — is a grave violation of Minnesotans’ most fundamental rights, and it has spread fear among immigrant communities and neighborhoods. No one, including federal agents, is above the law.”

The ACLU’s legal action follows increased federal enforcement in the Minneapolis area through “Operation Metro Surge,” which has seen thousands of federal agents deployed across the Twin Cities for the purpose of immigration enforcement and fraud investigations.

The operations have come under scrutiny following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer on Jan. 7, which sparked protests in Minnesota and across the country. The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed disdain for protesters and DHS is committed to the defense of its officers.

President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric and policy against Minnesota’s Somali population in recent weeks, referring to them as “garbage” in a December cabinet meeting — where he stated he doesn’t want Somalis in the U.S. — and announcing the end of temporary protected status for Somalis in the U.S. on Tuesday.

The ACLU argues Trump’s statements have increased unconstitutional stops and racial profiling.

“Following Trump’s comments, ICE and CBP agents have indiscriminately arrested — without warrants or probable cause — Minnesotans solely because the agents perceived them to be Somali or Latino,” the ACLU said.

Minnesota is home to the nation’s largest Somali population, most of whom are U.S. citizens.