Minnesota, Illinois sue Trump admin over ICE occupation

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — State officials in Minnesota and Illinois filed two separate lawsuits against the federal government in federal court Monday, claiming that the deployment of thousands of immigration agents to both states’ metro areas violated the U.S. Constitution and states rights.

The lawsuits, filed separately in the two states, follow what Minnesota calls in its suit an “unprecedented deployment of federal immigration enforcement agents” in the Minneapolis area last week, and a monthslong surge in the Chicago area that Illinois describes as an “organized bombardment” designed to coerce the state into abandoning its immigrant-friendly policies.

Both states claim the Trump administration has interfered with public safety in direct violation of their 10th Amendment right against federal overreach and state sovereignty — which reserves to states the right to protect the health, safety and well-being of its residents. Both states also accused the administration of targeting them because of their political leanings.

The states — with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul joining Minnesota’s suit, and Chicago joining Illinois’ — ask federal judges to declare the surges unconstitutional, and to halt operations in both states.

Additionally, the states ask for limits to be put on federal agents, including prohibiting the use of chemical irritants and kinetic impact projectiles against non-threatening bystanders and demanding that agents wear visible identification and activate body-worn cameras.

“The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. “People are being racially profiled, harassed, terrorized, and assaulted. Schools have gone into lockdown. Businesses have been forced to close. Minnesota police are spending countless hours dealing with the chaos ICE is causing. This federal invasion of the Twin Cities has to stop, so today I am suing DHS to bring it to an end.”

Minnesota claims that in the course of the federal government’s “Operation Metro Surge,” over 2,000 deployed federal agents have carried out “dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional stops and arrests in sensitive public places” — all under the guise of lawful immigration enforcement.

“Operation Metro Surge is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities,” Minnesota said.

The Trump administration claims the surge of immigration agents in Minnesota is necessary to fight fraud, but Minnesota argues the deployment has no connection to that objective, and instead is driven by the Trump administration’s desire to “punish political opponents.”

The Minnesota lawsuit comes days after an Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 — an event that Minnesota claims the Trump administration used as an opportunity to attack Democrats and Minnesota.

Minnesota said federal officials repeatedly issued false statements after the shooting to create narratives of lawlessness in the state, and to wrongly accuse Good of “domestic terrorism.”

Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on X that Ellison is prioritizing politics over public safety, and that she is looking forward to proving in court that the constitution is on the Trump Administration’s side.

“It really is astounding that the Left can miraculously rediscover the 10th Amendment when they don’t want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law,” she said, adding that if Minnesota officials would have “done their sworn duty” to protect the people of Minnesota, they wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.

“Operation Midway Blitz” — a militarized federal surge targeting Illinois — saw hundreds of Border Patrol and ICE agents enter the Chicago area in September, bypassing local non-cooperation laws. The state claims that federal agents have essentially aced as a militarized occupying force.

“Uniformed, military-trained personnel, carrying semi-automatic firearms and military-grade weaponry, have rampaged for months through Chicago and surrounding areas, lawlessly stopping, interrogating and arresting residents,” Illinois said.

Illinois claims that federal immigration agents have enforced immigration laws in the Chicago area for decades without significant impact on public order and safety, and that what has happened since September is not immigration enforcement.

“We have watched in horror as unchecked federal agents have aggressively assaulted and terrorized our communities and neighborhoods in Illinois, undermining Constitutional rights and threatening public safety,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement.

“In the face of the Trump administration’s cruelty and intimidation, Illinois is standing up against the attacks on our people. Today, Illinois is once again taking Donald Trump to court to hold his administration accountable for their unlawful tactics, unnecessary escalations and flagrant abuses of power,” he said.

Illinois said that ICE agents have randomly and brutally stopped and questioned lawful Chicago residents, following the Trump administration’s orders to “push the envelope,” leaving many Illinois citizens afraid to venture outside on a daily basis.

Both states outlined complaints over the violent force federal agents have displayed during the occupations, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray and many reports of shoving and brandishing of firearms — all intended to stir up fear, they say.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that federal law enforcement belongs everywhere that federal law applies in a response to the announcement of the lawsuits.

Federal officials have maintained that their operations in Minnesota and Illinois are essential for executing the administration’s immigration policies, particularly in areas where local and state officials have declined to assist.