Judge Declines to Issue Preliminary Injunction on Surge

A federal judge has declined Minnesota's bid to immediately halt the Trump administration's large-scale immigration enforcement push in the state, while leaving the door open for the case to continue. US District Judge Kate Menendez on Saturday denied the state's request for a preliminary injunction against the operation that has sent roughly 3,000 ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers to the Minneapolis area. Menendez wrote that Minnesota and the Twin Cities had not yet demonstrated that the operation is unlawful or intended to strong-arm local officials into advancing broader administration aims, the Washington Post reports. She emphasized that her decision was not a final ruling on the suit's underlying legal claims.

"It would be difficult to overstate the effect this operation is having," Menendez wrote, referring to "profound and even heartbreaking, consequences on the State of Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and Minnesotans," per Politico. Menendez said federal officials had shown that blocking the surge could hinder the government's ability to carry out immigration law. State and city officials say the influx of agents has created a crisis, pointing to two fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis this month: that of Renée Good on Jan. 7, which triggered the city's emergency protocols, and ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, on Jan. 24. In a letter to the court after Pretti's death, per the Post, they argued the killings showed the need for a "court-ordered respite."

The judge, a Joe Biden appointee, did not address whether particular enforcement actions during the surge violated the law. Minnesota sued the administration on Jan. 12, accusing federal agents of militarized raids and "dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional" stops and arrests, and alleging the crackdown was designed "to punish political opponents and score partisan points." The Justice Department countered that state officials were effectively claiming veto power over federal law enforcement. During a hearing, Menendez raised the issue of whether she had authority to order the agents out of the state and questioned an administration letter to Gov. Tim Walz demanding voter roll and food assistance records, asking whether the letter resembled a ransom note.