U.S. News
Biden-Appointed Judge Blocks Move Against ICE in Minnesota
Clear Facts
- A Biden-appointed judge refused Minnesota’s request to remove federal immigration enforcement from the state.
- The lawsuit, led by Democratic officials, argued that DHS’s Operation Metro Surge was unconstitutional.
- Key Biden and Trump officials responded, stressing the ruling’s impact on public safety and law enforcement.
District Judge Katherine M. Menendez, appointed by President Biden in 2021, ruled against the state’s request to immediately remove Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from Minnesota.
This decision followed a lawsuit from Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, who argued that the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge violated constitutional limits.
Menendez wrote, “Minnesota and the Twin Cities have provided no metric by which to determine when lawful law enforcement becomes unlawful commandeering, simply arguing that the excesses of Operation Metro Surge are so extreme that the surge exceeds whatever line must exist.”
She added, “A proclamation that Operation Metro Surge has simply gone ‘so far on the other side of the line’ is a thin reed on which to base a preliminary injunction.”
Despite the denied injunction, the broader case continues to move forward in court.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem celebrated the denial as “a win for public safety and law and order” in a post on X, detailing recent arrests of criminal illegal aliens in Minneapolis as a result of the operation.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated, “Of course, we’re disappointed. This decision doesn’t change what people here have lived through — fear, disruption, and harm caused by a federal operation that never belonged in Minneapolis in the first place.”
Frey claimed the operation has “brought the opposite” of public safety and compared it to an “invasion.”
The mayor also said, “Today’s decision is just one step in this lawsuit. The City will continue to pursue the lawsuit to hold the Trump administration to account.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called Menendez’s ruling a “HUGE … legal win” on X.
Bondi asserted, “Neither sanctuary policies nor meritless litigation will stop the Trump Administration from enforcing federal law in Minnesota.”
Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025 after a fraud scandal in the state, with many charged being of Somali descent.
Since the operation’s start, two individuals, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both white American citizens, were fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis.
For details on the judge’s ruling, visit:
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