Minnesota and its two largest cities have sued the Trump administration to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer and evoked outrage and protests across the country.
The state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, on Monday (January 12, 2026) said the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation.
“This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop,” state Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. “These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorised Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct.”
Homeland Security is pledging to put more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota and says it has made more than 2,000 arrests since December. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has called the surge its largest enforcement operation ever.
The lawsuit accuses the Republican Trump administration of violating free speech rights by targeting a progressive state that favours Democrats and welcomes immigrants.
“They’re targeting us based on what we look and sound like. Our residents are scared. And as local officials, we have a responsibility to act,” said St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who was born in Laos.
In response, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Minnesota officials of ignoring public safety.
“President Trump’s job is to protect the American people and enforce the law — no matter who your mayor, governor, or state attorney general is,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “That’s what the Trump administration is doing; we have the Constitution on our side on this, and we look forward to proving that in court.”
The government also faces a new lawsuit over a similar crackdown in Illinois. More than 4,300 people were arrested last year in “Operation Midway Blitz” as patrols of masked agents swept the Chicago area. The lawsuit by the city and state says the campaign had a chilling effect, making residents afraid to leave home or use public services.
Since the deployment in the Twin Cities, whistle-burst warnings by grassroots activists are commonly heard when agents flood streets. Witnesses have regularly posted video of federal officers using tear gas to discourage the public from following them.
Earlier on Monday (January 12), agents fired tear gas to break up a crowd of people who showed up to see the aftermath of a car crash in Minneapolis, just a few blocks from where Renee Good was fatally shot.
A crowd emerged to witness a man being questioned by agents who had rear-ended his car. Agents used tear gas to try to discourage the group, then drove off as people screamed, “cowards!”
“I’m glad they didn’t shoot me or something,” Christian Molina told reporters.
Standing near his mangled fender, he wondered aloud: “Who’s going to pay for my car?”
It was another tense scene following the death of Good on Jan 7. There were dozens of protests or vigils across the U.S. to honour the 37-year-old mother of three and passionately criticise the Trump administration’s tactics.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended the immigration agent who shot her, saying Good and her vehicle presented a threat. But that explanation has been widely panned by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on videos of the confrontation.
Hundreds of students walked out of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, where federal agents had deployed tear gas on students and staff last week. Adults wearing safety vests cleared traffic, and many parents who are Roosevelt alumni showed up in old school wear.
Marchers held signs that said, “ICE out” and “Welcome to Panem,” a reference to the dystopian society from the “Hunger Games” book series.
Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, federal authorities filed charges against a Venezuelan national who was one of two people shot there by U.S. Border Patrol on Thursday (January 8).
The U.S. Justice Department said the man used his pickup truck to strike a Border Patrol vehicle and escape the scene with a woman.
They were shot and eventually arrested. Their wounds were not life-threatening. The FBI said there was no video of the incident, unlike the Good shooting.
Published – January 13, 2026 07:00 am IST
