Minnesota sued U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday in an effort to halt a major federal immigration enforcement surge that intensified after last week’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis, according to Reuters.
Resident Renee Good was shot and killed as she pointed her vehicle toward an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
The lawsuit accuses the Department of Homeland Security and ICE of overstepping state authority by dramatically expanding enforcement operations, a move federal officials say was necessary to address years of unchecked illegal immigration and criminal activity enabled by sanctuary-style policies.
Secretary Noem and the Trump administration have defended the operation as a lawful and overdue effort to restore order, with DHS telling CBS News Minnesota that the deployment represents the largest immigration enforcement action ever conducted in the state.
Federal officials said some 2,000 additional ICE and DHS agents were sent to the Minneapolis–St. Paul region to target illegal immigrants with criminal records, fugitives, and fraud suspects, according to CBS News.
Good, 37, was shot and killed on last Wednesday during an ICE enforcement operation in south Minneapolis, an incident that DHS officials say occurred after she drove her vehicle toward agents during a rapidly evolving and dangerous encounter, according to statements cited by Reuters.
The agent involved, Jonathan Ross, is a veteran officer assigned to a Special Response Team, and Noem said that the agent followed training protocols and acted in self-defense to protect himself and fellow officers.
Despite those statements, Democrat officials and activists quickly challenged the federal account, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz calling for greater scrutiny of the agent’s actions, even as DHS emphasized that federal officers face increasing hostility during enforcement operations.
Protests erupted across Minneapolis in the days following the shooting, with demonstrators demanding ICE withdraw from the city, while Bring Me The News and Minnesota Public Radio reported that federal agents maintained a visible presence amid security concerns.
Federal officials argue the protests underscore the difficulty of enforcing immigration law in jurisdictions where local leaders openly oppose cooperation with ICE, a dynamic conservatives say has emboldened criminal networks and undermined public safety.
During the enforcement surge, Noem accompanied agents on a St. Paul operation that resulted in the arrest of Tomas Espin Tapia, an Ecuadorian national DHS identified as a fugitive wanted for murder, according to reporting by the Sahan Journal.
DHS officials cited that arrest as evidence that aggressive enforcement saves lives, noting that dangerous individuals are more likely to evade detection in cities that restrict cooperation with federal authorities.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Gov. Walz argue the operation has sown fear in immigrant communities, but immigration enforcement advocates counter that fear stems from years of lax enforcement and political signaling that immigration laws would not be enforced.
The lawsuit follows earlier clashes between Minnesota cities and the Trump administration, including a prior Justice Department lawsuit against Minneapolis and St. Paul over policies that limited cooperation with ICE, according to Reuters.
National Republicans and allies of President Donald Trump have rallied behind Noem, arguing that federal agents should not be scapegoated for enforcing the law in dangerous conditions created by sanctuary policies and political resistance.
Reuters reported that Minnesota is seeking an injunction to block further expansion of the operation, while DHS has made clear that enforcement in the state will continue despite lawsuits, protests, and opposition from Democratic leaders.
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