The state of Minnesota has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump administration in an effort to halt a surge of federal immigration agents arriving in the state.
According to the lawsuit, the deployment constitutes an unconstitutional “federal invasion.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated that the immigration operations have disrupted life for millions of residents, creating “chaos and violence.”
The legal action follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, by an immigration agent in Minneapolis last week, which sparked large protests across the city.
Minnesota is asking a federal court to declare the deployment illegal.
In response, the Trump administration dismissed the suit as “baseless,” insisting the agents are focused on targeting undocumented migrants and that additional personnel are needed to ensure their safety during operations.
At a Monday news conference, Ellison said the deployment infringed on the state’s “sovereign authority to protect the health and wellbeing of every single person who lives within our borders.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey added that federal agents were unlawfully singling out individuals they assumed were immigrants based on racial profiling.
He claimed their presence has driven up 911 calls and forced city police to work overtime to investigate ICE-related incidents.
Ellison said, “The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota.”
He also accused the Trump administration of “persecuting the state of Minnesota because of our political views,” pointing out that Democrats currently hold the governor’s office and control the state legislature.
Responding, Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security said, “Keith Ellison made it abundantly clear today he is prioritising politics over public safety. This is a baseless lawsuit, and we look forward to proving that in court.”
Prosecutors at the conference indicated they would seek a temporary restraining order as early as Tuesday to block the deployment.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it plans to send even more agents to Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge to combat illegal immigration and crime.
Approximately 2,000 agents are reportedly already on the ground. Over the weekend, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News that “hundreds more” will be sent “in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.”
Meanwhile, Illinois and the city of Chicago have launched a similar lawsuit against what they described as an “organized bombardment” and “occupation” by federal immigration personnel.
The Illinois filing states that “uniformed, military-trained personnel, carrying semi-automatic firearms and military-grade weaponry, have rampaged for months through Chicago and the surrounding areas.”
The shooting of Renee Good last week has fueled a heated debate over federal law enforcement activities in urban areas.
Federal officials claim the 37-year-old was attempting to run over immigration agents when she was shot, while local authorities dispute this account, asserting that shooting her was unnecessary.
The FBI has announced an investigation, though local officials say they have been largely excluded.
Elsewhere, an Iranian woman wearing a leopard-print headscarf walked past an anti-US mural in Tehran depicting a damaged Statue of Liberty.
Officials are expected to review video footage and policy guidelines as part of the ongoing investigation, experts told the BBC.
Additionally, four crew members are scheduled to leave earlier than planned this week following a medical issue involving an unidentified colleague.
The US president and his administration have warned that “very strong options”, including military action, may be taken in response to developments in Iran.
